Lemon Sage Chicken

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 chicken, without giblets
• 10 sage leaves
• 2 large lemons, untreated
• some oil
• salt and pepper
• Paprika powder
• some white wine, optional

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours 25 minutes

Wash the chicken and cut it in half, then rub it well with oil, salt, pepper, and paprika. Add a small spoonful of oil to a sufficiently large pan and place the halves side by side. Finely chop 4-5 sage leaves and place them on the two halves, massaging or tapping them in slightly so they don’t sit loosely and fall off when turned. Cut 1 lemon into slices, halve them, squeeze them over the chicken, and then add the crushed pieces to the pan. I let the chicken rest, covered, for about 1 hour. Then I sear the chicken on each side for about 10-15 minutes. Then I take either 1 large or 2 small casserole dishes and place the chicken halves in them. Pour the pan juices (without the lemon pieces) into the casserole dish. Then I add the remaining sage leaves and the other lemon, which I also cut into slices (I occasionally add a little white wine to the casserole dish, but only if I have any leftover). I then cover the chicken with baking paper so that the steam can penetrate the chicken. Then I put it in the oven at approximately 180-200°C (350-400°F) for 40-50 minutes. When everything is ready, I sort out the sage leaves and lemon slices and drizzle the cooking juices over the chicken on the plates when serving. I usually serve it with fries or homemade potato wedges and salad. Tip: If you don’t want quite as much lemon flavor, use only one lemon.