Roast Chicken

Name: Roast Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 5
Ingredients: 1.75 - 2 kg / 3.5 - 4lb whole chicken (, patted dry); Salt and pepper; 2 tsp olive oil; 1 lemon, quartered; 3 rosemary sprigs; 100 g / 1 stick unsalted butter (, melted); 3 garlic cloves (, minced); 1 tbsp sage (, finely chopped (Note 1)); 2 tsp rosemary (, finely chopped (Note 1)); 1 tbsp parsley (, finely chopped (Note 1)); 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper; 1 cup / 250 ml dry white wine (, or low sodium chicken broth); 1 onion (, quartered (Note 2)); 1 garlic bulb (, halved horizontally (Note 2))

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Posted by Grace 05 January 2020

5 servings

Intermediate

Prep Time 00 : 15

Cook Time 01 : 30

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Slathered with a garlic-herb-lemon butter, this roast chicken is juicy on the inside with crispy golden skin on the outside. An all round flavour bomb with the most incredible liquid gold pan juices to use as the sauce! See notes for gravy option and cook times for other chicken sizes.

Ingredients

1.75 - 2 kg / 3.5 - 4lb whole chicken (, patted dry)
Salt and pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 lemon, quartered
3 rosemary sprigs
100 g / 1 stick unsalted butter (, melted)
3 garlic cloves (, minced)
1 tbsp sage (, finely chopped (Note 1))
2 tsp rosemary (, finely chopped (Note 1))
1 tbsp parsley (, finely chopped (Note 1))
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
1 cup / 250 ml dry white wine (, or low sodium chicken broth)
1 onion (, quartered (Note 2))
1 garlic bulb (, halved horizontally (Note 2))

Steps

Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven to 220C/450F (standard) or 200C/430F (fan/convection). Put shelf in the middle.

Mix together Butter ingredients. Add juice from 2 wedges of lemon.

Place chicken in a roasting pan. Use a dessert spoon to loosen skin from chicken (see video). Do the top (the breast) and the drumsticks – not the underside.

Prop chicken upright, drizzle butter under skin, using most of the garlic/herb sludge, but saving a bit of butter for the skin (Note 3).

Drizzle / smear remaining butter all over surface of the chicken. Squeeze over juice of 2 lemon wedges.

Stuff used lemon wedges and rosemary inside chicken.

Tie drumstick ends with string and tuck wing tips under the chicken.

Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

Place onion and garlic in the pan, place chicken on top. Pour wine around, drizzle chicken with oil.

Transfer to oven. Roast for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 180C/350F (all oven types). Roast for a further 1 hr 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear when pierced at the join between the drumstick and the body. Baste twice (30 min then at 1 hr), spooning pan juices over skin.

Rest for 15 minutes – don’t cover, skin becomes wet.

Serve with pan juices (see video for how to carve). I discard onion but use the garlic in the pan. See notes for side suggestions & how to use carcass for incredible homemade broth!