Everyone has got their own recipe for the perfect roast chicken and this one is so fantastic. Few good ingredients and plenty of butter…. just can’t go wrong with that :) When i’m completely lost and have no idea what to cook, this is the perfect dish. You just have to try it to believe me.
1 whole chicken
100 gr butter
handful of fresh herbs, a mixture of few or just one. This time I used basil and parsley but something like sage goes really well
1 lemon, preferably unwaxed
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
1 wineglass of white wine
flour or cornflour to thicken gravy
Start by preheating the oven to 200°. Grate the lemon and mix in with the butter. Chop up the herbs and grate or crush the garlic and mix into the butter. Loosen the skin from the breasts and try not to tear it. Put the butter under the skin and try to get it everywhere possible. Squeeze half a lemon over the chicken and put it into the chicken. Put the other half into the roasting tray. Season with salt and pepper and cover with a lid or foil. Cook for 45 minutes with the lid on.
Remove the lid or foil and cook for a further 30 minutes or so, or untill the chicken is cooked through. Try not to cut into the chicken to check if it is ready, use a thermometer or lift it up, if the liquid that comes out is clear it is ready.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the roasting tray and let it rest while you prepare the gravy. If you want nice and juicy breasts you let the chicken rest breast side down. But bear in mind that you will loose the crispy skin. Pour the wine into the tin and scrape off all the best bits which will give the gravy so much flavor. Pour into a saucepan. Squeeze the lemon from the tin into the sauce and let this simmer for a little bit. Season with salt and pepper. If you want the gravy a bit thicker you can either stir in a bit of cornflour or normal flour, what ever you prefer.
When it comes to side dishes with something like this the list is endless. Roast potatoes are a classic but in this case we made simple oven baked potatoes and sweet potatoes. Chop the potatoes and sweet potatoes in to chunks and put them on a roasting tray. Mix in some olive oil or rapeseed oil and season with salt and pepper. When there is around 30-40 minutes left of the cooking time of the chicken put the potatoes in the oven. When there are 10 minutes left pour over 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Be careful not to have your face directly over the tray…. a vinegar facial is not very nice! Don’t worry if the potatoes seem a little dark, they are most likely colored from the vinegar and not burned. The vinegar makes the really nice and sweet.
Serve the chicken with the potatoes and perhaps some fresh green salad and I promise a happy meal :)