Roast chicken with sage and rosemary

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 chicken, approx. 1.2 kg, ready to cook
• salt and pepper
• Paprika powder, sweet
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 6 sage leaves (small leaves)
• olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 100 ml water

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

Rinse the chicken thoroughly inside and out and pat dry. Rub well with salt, pepper, and paprika powder inside and out. Wash the herbs and beat dry. Stiffen the rosemary needles from the stalks and quarter the sage leaves. Use your fingers to loosen as much of the skin from the chicken as possible. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the meat at the openings. With a little skill, you can remove almost all of the skin. Now push the herbs under the skin and spread them over the entire chicken if possible. Close the belly opening with a wooden skewer. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tie the wings to the chicken body. Brown the chicken in a roasting pan with hot olive oil on all sides. Roast breast-side up in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 50 minutes, until browned and crispy. Brush the chicken occasionally with melted butter. Remove the chicken. Boil the meat juices from the roasting pan with approximately 100 ml of water and pour through a sieve into a saucepan. Let it simmer for a while, then season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.