Roast Chicken

RECIPE VIDEO ABOVE. 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.

Prep Time Cook Time Total Time

15 mins 1 hr 30 mins 1 hr 45 mins
4.99 from 106 votes

Course: Dinner, Roasts Keyword: roast chicken Servings: 5 Calories: 505kcal

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

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

Butter:
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

Under Chook:
1 cup / 250 ml dry white wine , or low sodium chicken broth
1 onion , quartered (Note 2)
1 garlic bulb , halved horizontally (Note 2)

Instructions
1. Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Preheat oven to 220C/450F (standard) or 200C/430F (fan/convection). Put shelf in the middle.
3. Mix together Butter ingredients. Add juice from 2 wedges of lemon.
4. 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.
5. 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).
6. Drizzle / smear remaining butter all over surface of the chicken. Squeeze over juice of 2 lemon
wedges.
7. Stuff used lemon wedges and rosemary inside chicken.
8. Tie drumstick ends with string and tuck wing tips under the chicken.
 9. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
10. Place onion and garlic in the pan, place chicken on top. Pour wine around, drizzle chicken with oil.
11. 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.
12. Rest for 15 minutes – don’t cover, skin becomes wet.
13. 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!

Notes
1. Herbs - Rosemary and sage are classic pairings with chicken, parsley adds more green specks in the
butter and a tiny touch of freshness. Feel free to use herbs of choice. Go easy with more rosemary - it’s a
strong herb.

Can also sub with 2 – 3 tsp of dried herbs of choice (use 2 tsp of strong flavoured dried herbs like thyme,
oregano, sage, mixed herbs, tarragon or 3 tsp of light flavoured dried herbs like dill, parsley, dill)

2. Onion and garlic: These serve 2 purposes: elevate chicken out of liquid a bit and they add tons of
flavour into the pan juices used as the sauce. I don't bother peeling the onion because I usually discard it -
because it sits under the chicken, it gets slimy and very oily. Feel free to use peeled onion and eat it.

3. Garlic-herb-butter: Get most of the garlic-herb sludge under the skin because if it’s on the surface of
the skin, the garlic burns. So minimise the garlic sludge on the skin.

4. GRAVY option: 50 g / 3 tbsp butter 3 tbsp / 40 g flour (any white)2 cups / 500 ml liquid from pan topped
up with low sodium chicken broth

Melt butter over medium heat, add flour, stir for 1 minute. Add half the liquid while whisking. Once
incorpoated and lump free, add remaining liquid. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until
gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. COOK TIMES: 10 minutes at 220C/450F, then 20 minutes for every 500g/1lb at 180C/350F until the
internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear. This assumes the chicken was taken out of the
fridge 30 minutes before cooking. If it’s fridge cold, add another 10 minutes to the cook time.

6. TYING DRUMSTICKS: I find it easiest to use one piece of string, wrap string around one leg, then yank
the other leg closer and wrap string around that one to. Then once string is around both of them, it's much
easier to handle to use the string to pull then together then wrap the string around both of them tightly so
they are crossed over each other.

7. CARCASS and leftover bits/juices: Scrape it all into a pot or slow cooker, add water so water is about
2.5cm / 1" above chicken. Add 2 tsp Vegeta or chicken stock powder or 2 crumbled cubes, celery, carrot
and a few garlic cloves (chunky pieces) and a few sprigs of fresh herbs like thyme/rosemary/parsley OR 1
tsp dried herbs. Simmer 1 hour / slow cooker 6 hours, strain. Pick out/off bits of chicken to use in soup.
Use as incredible broth for Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken Rice Soup.

8. SIDES: Roast potatoes (cut, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs, roast under chicken for 40
minutes), mashed potato or cauliflower, or garlic bread. Also try Potatoes au Gratin or Easy Cheesy Potato
Bake - can make ahead then reheat in oven quickly.
Pictured on the very edge of photo in post is this Kale Quinoa Salad (I often have it on hand as it lasts for
days and days). Other great salads: Corn Salad with Avocado and Tomato, Roast Pumpkin Spinach Salad,
a garden salad with Italian or French Dressing.

9. Nutrition assumes 1.2kg / 2.4lb of meat, remainder is bones discarded. Also assumes all pan juices are
consumed which they probably won't be, also you lose some in the onion/garlic/discarded chicken.

Nutrition
Serving: 399g | Calories: 505kcal

Another great recipe by recipetineats.com