Roast chicken from the Roman pot

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 chicken (roast chicken), fresh or frozen, thawed (approx. 1.2 kg)
• 3 tbsp oil (rapeseed oil)
• 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
• 1 tsp salt, coarse
• 1 tsp pepper, mixed, freshly ground
• 1 dashes lemon juice (fresh)
• 3 onions

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

wonderfully tender chicken with crispy skin

If the roast chicken is frozen, thaw it first. Wash fresh or frozen chicken inside and out and pat dry. In a small bowl, mix the oil with salt, pepper, paprika, and lemon juice and brush the chicken inside and out with the oil mixture. Reserve about 1 teaspoon. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes, turning halfway through. During this time, soak the top and bottom of the Roman pot in water until completely covered for at least 30 minutes. Peel and halve the onions, and place them on the bottom of the Roman pot. Place the chicken breast-side down on top, put the lid on, and place it in a cold oven on the middle rack. Set the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). After about 60-70 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken), remove the lid, spread the remaining oil over the top half of the chicken, raise the oven rack, and bake for another 10-15 minutes. If you like, you can drain the liquid, turn the chicken over, brush the other skin side again, and bake for 10-15 minutes. Reduce the previous baking time to 50-60 minutes. Adding more liquid is not necessary; the watered pot will release enough liquid for the chicken to become wonderfully tender. By brushing the liquid again and leaving the chicken uncovered for the last 15 minutes, the skin will become wonderfully crispy. The oven stays clean, and the chicken does not dry out; instead, it will be absolutely moist with spicy, crispy skin. If you like, you can add onion and garlic halves to the inside of the chicken before baking. This goes perfectly with simple boiled potatoes and green beans with brown butter. Any leftovers can be enjoyed the next day as delicious roast meats.