Garlic-stuffed chicken with pistachio, sour cherry and herb pilaf

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. Grate the zest of the lemon into a small bowl, then set the fruit aside. Add the garlic, butter, dill and some seasoning, then mix with a fork. Loosen the skin around the neck of the chicken and, using your fingers, make two pockets between the breast and the skin. Work the butter into the pockets, as far back as you can reach. Put the zested lemon into the cavity, then scatter sea salt all over the outside of the bird and set aside.
2. In a large ovenproof dish, mix the rice, milk and chicken stock, then season with a little salt. Put the chicken in the top third of the oven, directly on the oven rack, then put the rice underneath so it will catch all the juices as the chicken cooks. Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. The rice should be tender after this time – remove it from the oven and set aside somewhere warm while the chicken finishes cooking.
3. Place a roasting tin underneath the chicken and continue to roast for 15 minutes. Check it’s cooked by pushing a digital probe thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (by the body) – it should read around 70°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, insert a metal skewer into the same place – if the skewer feels piping hot when lightly pressed to the underside of your wrist, the chicken is cooked. Put the chicken on a board, remove the lemon from the cavity and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
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4. Meanwhile, scatter the cherries and nuts over the rice. Slice the preserved lemons into quarters. Cut away and discard the inner flesh, then finely chop the rind and scatter over the rice with the herbs and lemon juice. Gently mix everything together, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
5. Carve the chicken into slices or joints and scatter the chilli over the rice. Serve immediately, with a green salad on the side, if you like.