Oven-roasted guinea fowl with lemon and thyme

A whole guinea fowl is seasoned with quatre-épices and roasted with lemon, garlic, thyme and red onion. Butter under the skin protects the lean breast meat, while white wine and the gently roasted onions form the base of a simple jus.

Serves: 4
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 65–80 minutes
Total time: approximately 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours

Ingredients

For the guinea fowl

• 1 whole guinea fowl, approximately 1.2–1.5 kg
• 40 g unsalted butter
• 8 g fine salt
• ½ teaspoon quatre-épices
• Black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 3 garlic cloves
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme

For the onions and jus

• 2 large red onions
• 15 ml olive oil
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 10 g unsalted butter
• 50–100 ml water, if needed
• Salt
• Black pepper

Also needed

• Large roasting tin
• Kitchen string, optional
• Aluminium foil
• Meat thermometer

Preparation

Prepare the guinea fowl
Remove the guinea fowl from the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes before roasting. Remove any giblets and carefully pat the inside and outside dry with kitchen paper.

Prepare the aromatics
Halve the lemon. Crush the garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and leave the skins on.

Peel the red onions, halve them and cut them into half-rings.

Allow 40 grams of butter to soften. Keep the remaining 10 grams of butter cold for finishing the jus.

Method

1. Preheat the oven
   Preheat the oven to 180 °C with top and bottom heat or 170 °C fan.
2. Make the spiced butter
   Mix the softened butter with the salt, quatre-épices and a few twists of black pepper.
3. Rub the guinea fowl with the spiced butter
   Carefully loosen the skin over the breast with your fingers. Spread approximately half of the spiced butter under the skin. Rub the remainder evenly over the outside of the guinea fowl.
4. Fill the cavity
   Fill the cavity with half a lemon, the crushed garlic and four sprigs of thyme. If desired, tie the legs loosely together with kitchen string.
5. Arrange the onions and guinea fowl in the roasting tin
   Spread the red onions over the roasting tin. Toss them with the olive oil and a small pinch of salt. Place the guinea fowl breast-side up on the onions.
6. Add the wine and thyme
   Pour the white wine into the roasting tin beside the guinea fowl. Do not pour the wine over the bird. Place the remaining sprig of thyme among the onions.
7. Roast and baste the guinea fowl
   Roast the guinea fowl for 65–80 minutes, depending on its weight. Baste it two or three times with the roasting juices during cooking, turning the onions at the same time.
8. Check the colour and roasting juices
   Check the colour after approximately 45 minutes. Loosely cover the breast with aluminium foil once the skin is sufficiently browned. Add a small amount of water if the roasting juices evaporate too quickly or the onions are in danger of catching.
9. Check the doneness
   Check the doneness in the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone. The internal temperature must be at least 74 °C.
10. Rest the guinea fowl
    Remove the guinea fowl from the roasting tin and leave it to rest for 15 minutes, loosely covered.
11. Reduce the jus
    Place the roasting tin over a medium heat, if it is suitable for this purpose. The onions and roasting juices can also be transferred to a small saucepan. Allow the jus to reduce for a few minutes.
12. Finish the jus
    Remove the pan from the heat. Stir the cold butter into the jus. Season with juice from the remaining lemon half, salt and black pepper.
13. Carve and serve the guinea fowl
    Carve the guinea fowl and serve it with the gently roasted red onions and the white wine jus.