Classic Roast Chicken

Method

Roast Chicken

Preheat your oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9.

Stuff the chicken with lemon wedges, half of the onion wedges, half of the rosemary and full garlic cloves.

Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the bird.

Add carrot, celery, the remaining onion and the remaining rosemary to the bottom of the roasting tray. Add 200ml of water (or 150ml water & 50ml white wine) to the roasting tray, place the chicken on top and cover tightly with foil.

Turn the heat of the oven down to 200°C/gas 6 and cook the chicken for 45 minutes.

Remove the foil and baste the chicken & add 50ml water (or 50ml of white wine) and return into the oven to roast for 25 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy.

Ensure the chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the chicken thigh and checking the juices run clear.

Place chicken onto a plate & recover with foil to keep warm whilst resting for 10 minutes.

Chicken Gravy

Remove vegetables from the roasting tray, keeping to one side, leaving all the juices behind.

Tip juices to one corner of the roasting dish and spoon off any excess fat.

Place the roasting tray onto the hob and heat on low.

Add the flour and whisk making sure to scrape up all the meat/veg remanence on the roasting tray as you go.

Cook for a couple of minutes until the flour has been mixed in and your gravy is thick.

Add the vegetables back into the roasting tray, mash them into the gravy mix and add chicken stock (as little or as much as you’d like) until you have the prefect consistency.

Turn the heat up and let simmer for a couple of minutes.

Strain through a sieve into a warm gravy boat.

To serve, carve your chicken (don’t forget to include the skin) and add a generous amount of gravy. Serve with roasted potatoes and a mix of vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, & peas).