24h before your meal, prepare a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and a rack.

​

Pat dry chicken with paper towel. Place chicken on to a cutting board, breast down, and begin cutting out the spine. You do not need poultry sheers, just clean kitchen scissors. Try your best to stay as close to the spine as you can to preserve the most meat possible. Starting from the tail, cut up each side of the spine, remove it from the centre, and discard. Place a snip in the centre of the breast bone so that the bird can be flattened open. Turn the chicken over and fold the wing tips underneath the breast to prevent them from burning. This process will create allow for shorter cooking, even cooking, and all pieces to get golden brown. Place onto the prepared rack breast side up. 

 

Cover chicken with the whole sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Then pour the salt over the chicken until it is fully coated. Leave to cure in the fridge over night.

​

The day of the meal, use a few sheets of paper towel to rub off as much salt as possible. Be thorough, pat dry the chicken as best you can. The drier the skin is, the crispier it will be.

​

Preheat oven to 450°F.​ Now prepare the butter & herb rub. Finely chop rosemary, thyme and garlic, and mix together with the butter and bacon fat if using.

​​

When rub is prepared, use your hands to seperate the skin from the membrane of the chicken. Starting from the neck areas, run your hand gently underneath the skin along the muscle to separate them. Be sure to go into the bottom of the breast area, thighs, and legs to create as much as space as possible for the butter mixture. 

​

Lather the butter & herb mixture under the skin, thick and evenly. Rub a little bit of the mixture on the top of the chicken skin as well.

 

Then season with only pepper. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until skin is crispy and only clear juices are dripping out.

​

Remove chicken from the oven to a large cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

 

Cut dark meat out by cutting along where the thighs meet the breast sides. Cut thigh away from leg. Cut white meat out by cutting on an angle from the centre of the spine down and back around the breast meat along the ribs. Serve as whole pieces or slice. Serve right away.