What I wound up doing with the chicken was brining it for two hours in brine with bay leaves and a piece of star anise, then taking it out, filling the cavity with roasted garlic and one and a half preserved lemons, sliding the interior fat and some more roasted garlic under the breast skin, rubbing the outside with the oil from the lemons, and dusting it with thyme, ground pepper, and sweet paprika.
It's in the oven now. I shall report back.
And I probably need a snack before I start working on the novella.