Ingredients

Step by step

1. Put the peppercorns in a mortar and bash with a pestle until crushed. Stir in the salt, thyme and lemon zest.
2. Remove all the packaging from the bird (make a note of its weight) and untie any string. Rub the salt mix into the chicken, inside and out, rubbing it in well with your hands. Put the chicken on a wire rack over a tray or roasting tin and place, uncovered, in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. Some salt mix may fall off, but just sprinkle it back on while it's sitting on the tray.
3. Heat the oven to 240°C, fan 220°C, gas 9. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper, rubbing off the salt mixture, and discard any liquid in the dish underneath.
4. Rub the olive oil all over the bird, then add the lemon halves to the cavity. You can tie the bird up again for presentation if you wish. Put in a roasting tray and cook for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4 and cook for another 45 minutes-1 hour (depending on weight). Don’t baste the chicken as this would soften up the crisp skin. Check the chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the juices come out clear, it’s ready. If it’s pink, put it back in for another 15 minutes.
5. Leave to rest uncovered for 20 minutes while you make gravy from the roasting juices and warm some plates to serve it on.
   Tip

   Dry brining
   Applying salt directly to meat draws out water, helping to intensify the flavour and the skin to crisp up. It also alters the protein structure in the meat, meaning it stays juicier when cooked. For best results, brine for up to 24 hours, depending on the amount of meat you have. This technique works brilliantly on chicken (brine for about 24 hours), beef steaks (1-2 hours) and pork belly (3-4 hours for perfect crackling).