Roast Chicken, done right is delicious and tender, but with a crispy skin. Far too often though, the meat is dry, tough and stringy, and the skin soft.
With rotisserie chickens available just about everywhere, the art of roasting a chicken seems to be disappearing – which is a shame because it is so easy!
The most important thing with roasting a chicken – is the chicken! Getting a really good quality organic, free-range chicken will put you on the path to success. A good quality chicken is also the best bet if you want to make use of the carcass for making a chicken stock.
My method couldn’t be a any simpler, so next time you go to get a rotisserie chicken, why not try this instead?
How To Make A Perfect Roast Chicken
Equipment
- Roasting tray
- Foil
- Food processor
- Kitchen paper
Ingredients
- 1 chicken ideally organic, free-range, and pasture-raised
- 1 lemon
- Fresh thyme
- 3 garlic cloves
- 50 ml 2 fl oz olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 200C (400F).
- Prepare the Chicken: Rinse the chicken and remove the giblets. Dry the chicken using kitchen paper.
- Prepare the Lemon and Thyme: Cut the lemon in half and sandwich a sprig of the thyme in the middle. Put the lemon inside the chicken cavity.
- Make the Olive Oil Mixture: Skin and crush the garlic cloves and add to a food processor with the leaves of the remaining thyme and the olive oil. Blend together.
- Massage the Chicken: Massage the olive oil mixture into the chicken thoroughly, ensuring it is completely covered.
- Season and Roast: Put the bird into a roasting tray, and top with any remaining oil. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the chicken loosely with foil and roast for 30 minutes.
- Continue Roasting: Reduce the temperature to 170C (330F), remove the foil, and roast for a further 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the bird is pierced with a skewer.
- Rest the Chicken: Turn off the oven, but allow the chicken to rest in the hot oven for ten minutes before removing it to carve.
- Serve: Pour the juices from the roasting tray over the sliced chicken to serve, or set aside to make a gravy. The carcass can be used to make a chicken stock.
Notes
- Using a high-quality, organic, free-range chicken will yield the best results.
- Ensure the chicken is thoroughly dried before applying the olive oil mixture for a crispy skin.
- Allowing the chicken to rest before carving helps retain its juices and keep it tender.
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[…] great way to use up leftovers from a roast dinner – substituting the turkey for chicken or any other free range bird will be just as good! This recipe is an easy lunch to do the night […]
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I do like a good Roast Chick myself.
I've even cooked a full Chick in a Crockpot/Slow Cooker. The moistest meat ever! Low for 4-6 hours…
That sounds great Liese, slow is a great way to make sure meat turns out tender.