Lavender Honey Chicken Food

LAVENDER- HONEY CHICKEN BREAST

Steps:

• Wash the chicken breasts well, remove the skin and pat dry.
• combine honey, lavender blossoms, and black pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
• Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and lavender blossoms-rub well and place in a baking dish.
• Bake 1 hour 350 degrees.
• The last half hour of baking, baste the chicken with the honey mixture several times until the chicken is golden brown and cooked completely.

LAVENDER LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a small bowl or mortar and pestle coarsely crush lavender and thyme. Then stir together with butter, zest, salt and pepper until well combined.
• Spoon mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a 4-inch log. Chill butter log until firm, at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Rinse chicken and pat dry.
• Slice herb butter and reserve 2 tablespoons for sauce.
• Slide hand under skin of chicken breast to loosen skin from meat. Insert about 3/4's of the butter under the skin and spread the rest over the outside of chicken.
• Truss chicken. Place the chicken in a flameproof roasting pan.
• Slice the onion into large pieces and scatter around the chicken.
• Roast bird in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (be careful not to touch bone) registers 170° to 175°F.
• It will take roughly 55-65 minutes for a four pound chicken and 8 minutes more per every pound over that.
• Lift chicken and tilt, emptying any juices from cavity into roasting pan.
• Remove the chicken to a platter, cover loosely with foil.
• Sauce: Add vermouth to pan. Place pan over high heat; bring vermouth to boil, scraping up any browned bits and onions.
• Strain the mixture into cup with pan juices.
• Spoon fat off and pour back into the pan. Add reserved 2 tablespoons herb butter and bring to a simmer - or melt butter before adding to pan.
• When butter has completely melted add flour and whisk until smooth.
• Serve sauce with chicken.

HOMEMADE LAVENDER HONEY

Steps:

• Warm the honey in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the lavender. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
• Warm the honey again over low heat until it is liquid enough to pour freely. Strain through a wire sieve (I place a clean paper coffee filter inside the mesh strainer), into a clean jar. Cool and cover.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. Serve at room temperature.

LAVENDER, LOVAGE AND LIME ROAST CHICKEN WITH HONEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190C, 400F, gas mark 5.
• Combine the lime(lemon), onion and garlic with the butter. Stuff half of this under the skin of the chicken, working carefully under the skin of the breast. Put the remaining flavoured butter inside the bird, with the chopped lovage (celery stalks/leaves) and the lavender flowers. Secure the skin over the neck with a skewer and put the chicken in a roasting tray.
• Combine the olive oil and honey in a pan and heat gently so the honey liquefies. Stir, then pour over the chicken. Season well.
• Roast for 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes, basting every 20 minutes or so.
• If the chicken seems to be browning too quickly, cover it with foil half way through cooking. To test whether the chicken is cooked, pierce it with a skewer in the thickest part. If the juices run clear, it is cooked. Leave to stand, covered with foil, for 20 minutes before carving.
• Garnish with lavender and lovage sprigs.
• Carve at the table and serve with the pan juices, green beans and apple & potato purée.