ROAST CHICKEN

I don’t think you can beat a roast chicken ... it is quick, simple and delicious.  Perfect for cooking when you are on holiday, we ate ours for lunch with fig and goats cheese salad and a baguette.  

I made the salad by putting some baby leaf salad leaves in a shallow bowl, I cut the figs into eight and placed them on top of the salad then crumbled the goats cheese over the figs.  

I dressed the salad by mixing together the following ingredients: 3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 Teaspoon of runny honey, Juice from a quarter of a lemon, 1/2 Small clove grated garlic and a pinch of salt.

I put a large serving of salad in the middle of the plate and then covered it in strips of warm chicken: 

ROAST CHICKEN - Serves 4

Ingredients 

1 Small chicken (1.2kg), Olive oil, Salt and pepper

• Turn the oven to 200
• Remove the trussing (string) and open the legs of the chicken so that the heat will distribute evenly around the legs.  Place the chicken in a roasting dish and drizzle olive oil over it then sprinkle salt and pepper 
• Pop in the middle of the oven and cook for an 1h 10 minutes.  Check the chicken every 15 mintues, if you think it is cooking to quickly because the skin is starting to burn then turn the oven down to 180
• Remove from the oven and check the juices are running clear, you do this by sticking a skewer into the leg and breast, if the juices are running clear the chicken is cooked.  If you see any pink in the liquid, or any pink when you cut into the chicken put it back in the oven for another ten minutes or so until all the pink has gone and it is thoroughly cooked.

Cooking notes

A roast chicken is very versatile.  You can serve it with all the trimmings on a Sunday or for a quick dinner try it with herby couscous or dauphinoise potatoes and a salad.  

It is a great choice if you think your guests might be late as if you serve it with salad it does not matter if the chicken has gone cold.   

I find a small chicken takes about an hour, a medium and hour and 15 minutes and then a large an hour and a half though everyones oven is slightly different so the timings will also be different.  Here are some timings for a guide if your chicken is not 1.2kg:

Place the chicken on the middle shelf of the oven and roast at 200 for 20 minutes per 450g, then add 10-20 minutes on to the end cooking time.  You do not want the skin on the chicken to burn, so if you have a very hot oven then you might need to cook the chicken on a lower hear or turn it down half way through cooking.  

Some people suggest resting the chicken under foil after cooking, I don’t bother as i love the skin to be crispy, it tends to go soggy if left to rest covered with foil.  If guests are running late I leave it to cool in a warm place, uncovered as I think warm chicken is just as good at piping hot chicken.

Adapting

I tend to change the flavour my roast chicken depending on what I am serving it with or what I will use the left overs for.  I have not flavoured it today as I want to use the left over meat to make Coronation Chicken tomorrow.

To flavour the chicken, make a herby butter by mixing herbs and sometimes garlic with 2 tablespoons of butter.  Once you have done this peel back the skin at the top of the chicken breasts and  slide 1 tablespoon of butter under the skin onto each breast, squish the butter under the skin a bit so it covers most of the breast.  

Here are some ideas for flavours:

Sunday Roast: 1 Teaspoon of Dried Thyme or Herbs d’ Provence (if you can find some with lavender then all the better) 

Chicken with Rocket Salad: Squeeze of lemon juice, clove of garlic and salt and pepper

Chicken with rosemary new potatoes: 1/2 Teaspoon of diced fresh rosemary and clove of grated garlic

 

Comments

[Roasting Pan]

I'm with you. I simply love a roasted chicken and prepare it quite frequently, seasoning it up accordingly to fit the particular menu of the evening. Leftovers are wonderful for making soups and various salads. The aromas of a chicken baking in the oven offer a warm welcome to the arrival of any guests. I, especially, like your salad recipe of chicken with figs and goat cheese with the complementary dressing. It sounds incredibly delicious.