Roast chicken with lemon, garlic and thyme

Served with roast potatoes and gravy

Prep: 45 min

Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 4 


Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, about 1.6 kg

½ lemon

8 fresh thyme springs (or 2 fresh rosemary springs)

4 bay leaves

2 onions, peeled and halved

5 garlic cloves

1 tbsp olive oil

For the roast potatoes

1 kg baby potatoes, scrubbed and halved

5 garlic cloves

Handful fresh thyme or oregano leaves

4 tbsp olive oil

For the gravy

½ chicken stock cube

1 tbsp plain flour

150 ml dry white whine


Steps to make it:

  1. Heat the oven to its highest settings
  2. Season the chicken inside and out then stuff it with the lemon, half the herbs and half an onion
  3. Roughly slice the remaining onions, spread the over the base of a roasting tin, then scatter over the garlic and the remaining herbs
  4. Rub the chicken with the oil and season generously with salt and pepper
  5. Pull the legs slightly away from the body, then sit the chicken, breast-side down, on top of the onions and put the tin in the oven. Immediately turn down the heat to 190˚C and cook for over an hour. The chicken is cooked when the juices from the thickest part of the thigh run clear when pierced with a skewer.
  6. While the chicken is roasting, put the potatoes on a large baking tray with the garlic and herbs, pour over the the oil, season well and give everything a good toss. Roast in the oven with the chicken, stirring occasionally and adding a little oil if they look dry. They will be crisp and golden in about an hour.
  7. For the most succulent meat, it is essential to rest the bird in a warm place, covered in foil, for 15 minutes while you make the gravy. For the gravy, skim off most of the fat from the chicken tin and discard, leaving only a few table spoon behind. Put the tin over the hob over a medium heat. Crumble in the stock cube, whisk in the flour and leave to bubble for a few minutes. Whisk in the wine a little at a time, letting it bubble for a minute between each addition, the boil for a few moments before adding enough boiling water to thin gravy to the desired consistency. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, then taste and season with salt and pepper
  8. Pick out and discard the herbs. Pour the gravy through a sieve into a warm jug. Put the chicken on a large platter surrounded with the potatoes, onions and garlic.
  9. Enjoy

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