- 2 teaspoons 5 aroma powder
- 2 teaspoons ground Szechwan pepper
- 1 teaspoon 5 pepper mixture, or freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 20 slices of fresh ginger
- 10 garlic cloves, unpeeled but slightly crushed
- 1 chicken of about 1 1/2 kg (I strongly recommend free range chickens, they taste better and I think they absorb the herbs a lot more.)
Mix the 5 aroma powder, Szechwan pepper, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture evenly into the inside of the cleaned chicken. Now mix the sage, marjoram, ginger, and garlic in a bowl, spread the mixture evenly inside the chicken and close with a skewer.
Preheat the oven to 240° C or 475°F.
Place the chicken (breast up) in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180°C or 350°F and cook for a further 40 minutes. Now turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven, lay it breast down and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. Carefully remove the skewer and drain any fluid that may have collected inside. Cut the chicken with a sharp knife or a good pair of chicken scissors into four portions and serve on preheated plates. I served it with French bread, chilled Balaton (a dry Hungarian red wine) and a fresh seasonal salad. The reaction was, "when are you going to do this one again Steven?"