Salt Baked Lemon Chicken

Preheat the oven to 200°C (approximately 390°F).

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season inside with a little salt and pepper. Rinse and halve the lemon and place in the cavity of the chicken along with sprigs of rosemary and 4 unpeeled garlic cloves and tie the legs with kitchen string. Rub with olive oil and saute in a hot griddle on all sides.

Peel and press the remaining garlic cloves through a garlic press. Mix the sea salt with beaten egg whites, chopped rosemary and crushed garlic. If necessary add a little cold water, so the mixture is a firm but pliable mass of salt. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper. Place a third of the salt mixture on the parchment, place the chicken on it and cover completely with the remaining salt. Bake on the middle rack of the oven 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes.