Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Untie the chicken legs and remove any giblets. Rinse it, then wipe it clean with paper kitchen towel.
3. Mix the butter and cinnamon powder with some salt an pepper. Rub the chicken all over with this paste - under the skin, over the breast area and between the legs too. Place the bay leaf under the skin on top of the breast.
4. Put the mandarin, cherries, onion, cinnamon stick and rosemary into the cavity - but don’t stuff it completely.
5. Put the chicken in a roasting tray. Put the tray in the middle of the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
6. Take the tray out and gently tilt the chicken, letting the jus out of the cavity into the pan. Baste the chicken with this jus. Cover the pan with foil and roast for 70-100 minutes, depending on its weight (check the packaging). Baste the chicken every 30 minutes with the baking jus.
7. Meanwhile, make the sour cherry sauce. Put all ingredients into a saucepan, bring to the boil and cook until you get a thick sauce, but not jam! Set aside.
8. When the chicken has about 30 minutes left of roasting, take it out of the oven and remove the foil.
9. Spoon some of the chicken’s roasting jus into a bowl. Add the jam and some liquid from the sour cherry sauce. Baste the chicken with this mixture, then put it back in the oven. Baste again every 10 minutes, or until you get a nice, red, crispy skin. Be careful, it can burn easily!
10. When the chicken is ready, transfer it to a large plate and let it rest.
11. Remove the cinnamon and orange peel from the cherry sauce, then add the cooking jus of the chicken (you can scoop off the fat first if you prefer). Now, you can add some wine, orange juice, chicken stock, orange liqueur, cherry brandy, port etc and reduce it until you get a nice, thick sauce.
12. Carve the chicken and serve the pieces with the sour cherry sauce and side dishes of your choice.