Roast chicken for your Sunday lunch or maybe it’s the mid-week meal win! We show you how to transform a ho-hum, plain chicken into an AMAZING, flavoursome roast chicken dinner, in just a handful of steps.
Mouth watering at the thought of a roast dinner? It doesn’t get much easier (or quicker) than roast chicken.
While pre-seasoned birds (or already cooked) can be an awesome go-to in the supermarket, it’s all kinds of smug to know how to cook a perfect roast chicken yourself. Come see how easy it is!
A family dinner favourite and a hit with even the pickiest of fussy eaters, roast chicken is the ultimate set-and-forget meal. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get ready to roast.
Delicious Crispy Skinned Roast Chicken recipe
Ingredients:
- 1.7kg whole chicken, plain and unseasoned
- 60g butter, softened
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Fresh herbs (mix of sage, rosemary and thyme sprigs)
- 1 lemon, quartered
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
Method:
1. Remove your chicken from the plastic wrapping. Bring the wings up and tuck them behind the body. This will prevent those wing tips from burning! Place a greased wire roasting rack in a roasting tray. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the butter and garlic. With clean hands, at the cavity end, gently slip a finger (or the rounded end of a spatula) under the skin, between the skin and the meat. Gently loosen the skin, either side of the breast, over the thigh and up to the neck. Push the butter under the skin, gently spreading it to cover the breast and thighs.
3. Fill the cavity of the chicken with the sprigs of thyme, rosemary, sage and the lemon. Season the chicken, front and back, with salt and pepper. Place on the oiled roasting rack.
4. Add two cups of stock to the roasting tray to keep the chicken from drying out. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 180°C and cook the chicken for a further 1 ½ hours or until chicken is cooked through (check using a meat thermometer through the breast, 75ºC). Baste every half hour or so with pan juices.
5. Let the chicken rest, covered in foil for 10 minutes before carving.
6. To make spectacularly good gravy, pour the pan liquid into a jug and skim the fat off the top (putting a heaped tablespoon of it back in the pan or a saucepan and throwing out the rest). Stir the flour in with the tablespoon of fat and cook over medium heat until mixture is browned. Gradually pour in the jug of liquid and the remaining cup of stock, stirring until the gravy boils and thickens. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Note: cooking times will vary depending on the exact size of your chicken. Check the packaging for a time weight/time cooking guide!
Think you’re going to have leftovers? You’re sure to be inspired into using up the leftover chicken with this recipe for Fake Take Out Stir Fry Chicken Noodles.
Looking to back up your delicious roast chicken with an equally yummy dessert? Try one of 10 winter warming fruit crumble desserts.
