2tbspolive oil infused with rosemary (or plain if you do not have)
1tbspcoarse salt
1 small bunch of basil leaves, taken off the stems
14small figs (or 8 large ones), halved and their stems cut away
2tbspsilan (or 1 tablespoon warmed, dark honey)
Black pepper 3 or 4 grinds of fresh (or ⅛ tsp powdered)
A dash of Tamari soy sauce
Instructions
Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the chicken. Rub the lemon half all over the chicken. Tuck the spent lemon half into the cavity of the chicken. Cover the chicken and let it soak up the lemon while you’re preparing the next steps.
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with the garlic, coarse salt, black pepper and soy sauce.
Rub the oily mix well over the chicken. Sweep up any garlic pieces that may fall onto the roasting pan and scoot them under the chicken.
Stuff the basil leaves under the skin of the chicken, anywhere you can find or force room. When in doubt, just put any extra leaves inside the cavity of the chicken alongside the lemon half.
Pile the figs up next to the chicken. Dribble the remaining 1 tablespoon rosemary oil and the silan over them. It won’t hurt if some of the garlicky mixture for the chicken gets mixed up with the figs.
Tear off a strip of tin foil and fold it so that it covers the figs, but not the chicken. Let the tin foil lay lightly over the figs; don’t tuck it in around them. You don’t want the figs to cook away to nothing while the chicken roasts – the tin foil will protect them.
Roast at 350° F (190° C) until the chicken is an irresistible golden color and the house smells divine.