So, I know I know, roast chicken is fairly easy to prepare
and cook. But maybe not for everybody!
It was always my favourite dinner growing up and whenever we
were brought out for dinner I only ever wanted to eat chicken!
Chicken is a favourite now in our house too. Whenever I make roast chicken, I have to make
the whole works! All the trimmings. It’s definitely scrummy comfort dinner with
roast potatoes, buttery veg, juicy stuffing and thick flavoursome gravy.
This recipe is the basic simple version for Sunday roast any
day of the week. There are so many
different herbs, spices and flavours people like to add to their roast
chicken. This is how I do mine.
(apologise for the picture.....i kind of dissected the top of the chicken checking its status!- but don't let that fool you. It tasted devine!)
I usually pick up a medium chicken, which does
us…..everything bar the bones are left after us!!
I absolutely love the skin really cracking and crispy……I
seem to be the only one here that does, more for me! But when it’s really seasoned and basted
during cooking it’s delicious. Not for
my waste though!
For this everyday chicken I just make a simple
stuffing. I save my sausage meat
stuffing for special occasions like Christmas.
For the chicken:
1.
I purchase chicken already cleaned
out etc so I just rinse it and pat dry with kitchen paper.
2.
Preheat oven 180°C.
3.
Rub olive oil all over the chicken
and season with coarse salt, cracked pepper, rosemary, thyme and Knorr
aromat meat seasoning.
4.
Slit the chicken by the wings and
place garlic cloves.
5.
In the cavity I place garlic
cloves again and the stuffing (see below).
6.
Wash ,
peel and half your potatoes. Pour
a little olive oil over them in a bowl and toss to completely coat.
7.
Place the potato halves around the
chicken in the oven dish.
8.
Roast in the oven at 200°C for the
first 20 minutes then reduce to 180°C for approx 50 minutes. Make sure to baste the chicken from time to
time with its own juices to prevent it from drying out or burn and to give it
all those juicy flavours. Also make sure
to turn and coat your potatoes regularly too.
9.
Check your chicken is cooked by
inserting a heat stick/thermometer is the centre. Another way of checking is if the juices run
clear when a slit is made in the skin corner of the leg.
10.
Remove the potatoes to a heated
bowl in the oven until ready to serve and remove the chicken to tin foil and
wrap securely to allow to sit.
11.
Use the juices from this to
make your gravy.
For the gravy:
1.
With a spoon, stir and whisk all
the juices and flavours from the chicken dish to make sure you get everything. Then pour with the juices
from your vegetables into a saucepan and add boiling water if need depending on
how much you need.
2.
Bring to a boil. Turn heat down a notch. Whisk in either a Knorr beef stock pot or
Knorr gravy granules slowly to make sure they are combined. We like a thick gravy so I add some gravy,
whisk it in and leave it simmer. It
thickens as it simmers so wait to see if you need more granules or not.
For the stuffing:
1.
I use whatever breadcrumbs I have
in the freezer. Today I had brown bread
breadcrumbs. Finely chop red onion
and mix with breadcrumbs.
2.
To this season with salt and
pepper.
3.
Melt enough butter to
combine the bread crumbs. Mould in your
hands and place in cavity of chicken.
Seal with tooth picks.
Dish up and enjoy J
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