because you do not need to wait till Christmas..
In a bowl, mix your butter (I am quite generous), salt/pepper to taste, mixed herbs and peri peri/ tandoori powder. Peel and crush 1 whole garlic bulb into the mixture. Mix until you form a smooth butter paste. The layer between the skin and the meat is where your butter will be spread.
Follow the instructions on the packet and form into small table tennis size balls
Pat your chicken dry to remove any moisture. Make small incisions on the end of the legs and also the layer above the cavity (just big enough to be able to fit a teaspoon through). Using a small teaspoon, add a small amount of your butter paste between the layer of skin and meat. Spread the paste by almost massaging it into the chicken legs and body part. Spread the remaining butter paste all over the chicken. Sprinkle peri peri/tandoori powder on top to get more flavour out on the skin.
Slice your onion into thick rings and place in your roasting tin, making a bed for the chicken to sit on. Place the marinated chicken on top. Crush another garlic bulb leaving the skin on using the back of a knife and scatter all over the tray. Cut the mushrooms and red onions into small pieces and scatter half of them alongside the garlic cloves. Cut the 2 oranges into small wedges and place a couple inside the cavity of the chicken and the rest around the tin. Keep a few for later on. Slice the third orange to get 4 rings and squeeze the remaining parts over the entire tin. Make a bundle using a few sprigs of Thyme/Rosemary and place inside the cavity to intensify the flavour. Add a few more on top of the sliced oranges for garnish. Time to finish off with lots of olive oil all over the tin and chicken (Be generous). Marinate for few hours.
Pre heat the oven to 180°. Cover the tin with foil and cook for roughly 2 hours depending on the size of your chicken. Keep checking every 30 minutes to pour the juices coming out back on top of the chicken to keep flavouring it. Once you have reached the last 25 minutes, crank up the oven to 200°, take the foil off and add the other half of your chopped vegetables around the sides. Add half of your stuffing balls around the tin. Place the other half of your stuffing balls in a separate baking tray/tin and place in the oven. You can confirm that the chicken has cooked through by creating a small incision on the side of the chicken leg; the juices should run clear. Keep basting the chicken with the juices that are in the tray. Cover the tin with foil and leave it to rest until the rest of your trimmings are done.
When cutting the pieces, make sure you drain the chicken as it will have lots of juices inside the cavity. I normally use a knife sharpener tool to hold the chicken upright so juices run down into the roasting tin to use later on top. Carve your chicken into pieces and pour the leftover juices over the chicken.
Now onto my favourite part. In the roasting tin, you will find all the veggies, garlic and stuffing softened all caramelised and slightly burnt, this is the best bit. Scoop that all up and enjoy it with your dinner. You will notice how juicy and moist the chicken is with how much is left inside the tin. This is a great addition with gravy.
Serve with your favourite trimmings. My favourites include broccoli, honey and orange glazed carrots, parsnips, yorkshire puddings and lots and lots of ahhh bisto.