Roast Chicken
Juicy roast chicken with crisp, golden skin, flavoured with lemon, garlic and thyme. The perfect centrepiece for a Sunday roast.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
A great roast chicken starts with dry skin. Pat it thoroughly with kitchen paper and season it well, and the skin will crisp up beautifully in a hot oven.
Stuffing the cavity with lemon, garlic and herbs perfumes the meat from the inside. Most importantly, rest the bird for at least 15 minutes before carving so the juices settle back into the meat.
Roast Chicken
1 hr 35 min total · approx. 520 kcal per serving
Ingredients
Servings
Method
- Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan.
- Pat the chicken dry, rub the butter all over and season generously. Put the lemon, half the garlic and the thyme in the cavity.
- Lay the onion and remaining garlic in a roasting tin, drizzle with oil and sit the chicken on top.
- Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce to 190°C / 170°C fan and roast for 50–60 minutes more, until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced (75°C on a thermometer).
- Lift the chicken onto a board and rest, loosely covered, for 15–20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the stock to the tin, scrape up the sticky bits and bubble for 5 minutes to make a quick gravy. Strain and serve with the carved chicken.
Cook's noteAllow 20 minutes per 500g plus 20 minutes, and always check the chicken is cooked through.
Calories are an estimate per serving. Diet tags are a guide only: always check ingredient labels for allergens, and see our food safety note.
