Roast chicken with fennel seeds and rosemary

1.Preheat oven to 190°C fan forced. Mix together fennel seeds, garlic, salt and extra virgin olive oil.

2.Rinse chicken inside and out, removing any fat from inside cavity. Pat dry with paper towels. Put rosemary stems inside cavity. Slip finger between the skin and breast meat, and slip in garlic and fennel oil. Massage it along the breasts. Squeeze lemon all over chicken skin, rubbing lemon on skin, then put squeezed lemon half in cavity with the rosemary. Tie chicken with string and season it with salt and pepper, then transfer to an ovenproof dish.

3.Pour around the wine and cover dish with a lid (failing a lid. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven, baste and pour ½ cup stock around chicken. Cover again, return to oven and cook for 15 minutes more.

4.Remove chicken from oven, remove lid, tilt chicken to let juices run from cavity, then baste chicken well. Return it to the oven, uncovered, and baste every 10 minutes, adding more stock as it evaporates.

5.Cook for about 30 minutes more (1¼-1½ hours in total), or until juices run clear when a skewer is inserted in the thickest meatiest part of the thigh. Baste again, then let the chicken sit in the dish for at least 10 minutes, but up to 30 minutes or so, to absorb juices, plump and soften. The chicken will be at its peak 25-35 minutes after coming out of the oven.

6.Transfer chicken to a board. Tilt roasting dish and scoop off fat. Bubble up juices, adding a little more stock if needed. Carve chicken and arrange on a plate, then spoon over pan juices.