← Nouns Cooking · British & Irish

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 1.6 kg)
• 30 g soft butter
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Lemon, halved
• 6 cloves Garlic, lightly bashed, skin on
• 4 sprigs thyme or rosemary sprigs
• 2 Onion, thickly sliced
• 2 Carrot, halved lengthways
• 1 tbsp Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 100 ml White wine (optional)
• 400 ml hot chicken stock
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 min before cooking and pat it very dry. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, 425°F).
2. Spread the onions and carrots in a roasting tin to make a trivet. Push the lemon halves, half the garlic and the herbs inside the chicken, rub the skin with butter and oil, season generously and sit the bird on the veg with the rest of the garlic around it.
3. Roast for 20 min, then turn the oven down to 190°C (170°C fan, 375°F) and roast for 60–70 min more, basting once, until the skin is deep golden and the juices run clear. The thickest part of the thigh should reach 75°C (165°F).
4. Lift the chicken onto a board, tipping the juices from the cavity back into the tin. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 15–20 min while you make the gravy.
5. Spoon off most of the fat from the tin, set it over medium heat and mash the veg into the juices. Stir in the flour for 1 minute, then add the wine and let it bubble for 1 minute.
6. Pour in the stock gradually, scraping up all the sticky bits, and simmer for 3–5 min until slightly thickened. Strain into a jug, season and serve with the carved chicken.

Tips

• Roast potatoes: parboil chunks for 8 minutes, shake to rough them up, then roast in very hot oil alongside for about an hour, turning once.
• Cool leftovers within 2 hours and use them within 2 days; they are great in stovies or sandwiches.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food Jamie Oliver RecipeTin Eats