Classic Roast Chicken

Is there anyone that doesn't like roast chicken?

The gorgeous roasting smell, the warmth of the oven and the juicy leftovers that can be picked off the bone make it the 'OG' of traditional Sunday roasts.

This recipe is probably one of the greatest set-and-forget meals ever, and whilst you may already know how to roast a chicken, the below will give you a perfectly moist chook every time (it's almost impossible to get wrong)!

Roast Chicken

• 1 medium Chicken
• 1 large Onion
• 2 large Carrots
• 2 sticks Celery
• 10 Garlic Cloves
• 5 sprigs Rosemary
• 1 handful Thyme
• 1 Lemon
• 50g Butter, softened
• Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 190C and take the chicken out of the fridge to bring up to room temperature.

2. Roughly chop the onion, carrots and celery (you can leave the skin on) and spread over the base of your roasting pan along with 5-6 cloves of garlic. Spread the herbs on top of the vegetables, this is now your makeshift trivet (which equals loads of flavor and a great gravy starter).

3. Cut the lemon in to quarters and lightly smash the remaining garlic cloves using the back of a knife. Stuff inside the chicken cavity, alternating between the lemon and garlic to ensure there is an even distribution. 

4. With your hands, gently massage the butter all over the chicken, making sure you get it in between the wings and down the sides. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over any extra thyme leaves you have. Place the chicken in the tray.

5. Cook in your preheated oven. As a general rule of thumb every 500g of chicken will need roughly 30min cooking time (e.g. 1.5kg chicken will take approx. 1hr 30min depending on your oven). It's ready when the skin looks golden and crispy and the juices run clear.

6. Once it's cooked, rest for at least 15 minutes (which gives you time to make your gravy using all those beautiful pan juices). Serve with buttered leeks and duck fat roast potatoes.