Picnic Roast Chicken
Roasting a chicken is such a simple thing to do, and yet tender, succulent roast chicken is one of those dinners that creates a real sense of home and comfort. Squeezing lemon juice over the top before cooking makes the skin golden and adds flavour. Use cold in picnic rolls with Horseradish Slaw, or as the starting point for a hearty pie or Asian-style Salad.
- Prep time:
- 10 mins
- Cook time:
- 1 hour
- Serves:
- 6
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 lemon
- 2 sprigs tarragon, parsley, thyme or rosemary, plus extra to serve
- 1 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 180˚C fanbake. Rinse chicken, pat dry inside and out with paper towels and place in a roasting dish, tucking the wings under tidily. Halve the lemon, squeeze the juice over the chicken and place the skins in the cavity with the herbs. Season chicken inside and out with salt and tie the legs with heatproof string.
Roast until the chicken is golden, the juices run clear when it is skewered in the deepest part of the thigh, and the liquids in the inside are brown not red (about 1 hour, depending on size). Transfer breast-side down to a serving dish or carving board, cover with baking paper and a clean teatowel and allow to rest for 10 minutes (resting breast-side down allows the juices to run down into the breastmeat) while you make the gravy.
Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, garnished with extra tarragon, parsley, thyme or rosemary sprigs. If not serving within 3 hours, chill until needed.
Tips
If you want to stuff your roast chicken with Bacon, Herb and Hazelnut Stuffing, remember to cook it for an extra 15 minutes. Throw a few potatoes in the roasting dish for an easy family meal.
This recipe is from my book The Free Range Cook: Through the Seasons
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