Date Night Wins: Roast Chicken

If Prince Harry can get Megan to say yes over a humble roast chicken, this recipe will be sure impress your date. A timeless classic that’s simple but very effective – much like your ‘Netflix and chill’ approach to tonight’s date. This recipe will show you how to get a juicy roast chicken, ample amounts of tasty gravy and seasoned roasted veg. If your date doesn’t fall for you after this, they’re probably not the one.

Ingredients:

This recipe serves four to five people.

• Whole Chicken
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• Whole head of garlic
• 500 mls of water/stock/wine
• Thyme
• Rosemary

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 mins

Preparation time: 10 mins

Method:

• Take the chicken out of the fridge at least an hour before you start cooking, pat down the outside with a paper towel and liberally salt the outside. Roughly chop the vegetables and place down in the centre of the roasting tray with the garlic cloves (skin on) in amongst it. Any vegetables will work here, it mainly serves to sit up the chicken so heat can pass underneath it.
• Add salt, pepper, olive oil, the herbs of choice (rosemary works particularly well) to the vegetables. If you have an open bottle of wine, put a glut of this into the tray.
• Sit the chicken on the vegetables and rub it with either olive oil or butter to help crisp up the skin. In a 180 degrees preheated oven, place the chicken in on the middle tray.
• Cooking times will depend on the size of the bird. An easy rule to follow is 45 minutes per kilo plus 25 mins. To be even more accurate use a meat thermometer for a temperature of 75 degrees in the thiccest part of the bird.
• Once cooked, remove the chicken from the tray and cover with foil. Allow the bird to rest for a further 20-30 minutes. This will allow the the juices to distribute themselves, which gives you time and oven space to finish off your sides.
• Place tray of vegetables on the hob on medium heat and added 500 ml of water, stock or wine to the tray, and scrape away at the sticky bits at the bottom of the tray. Mash up the vegetables and reduce the liquid by half. Strain the mixture through a sieve and your gray is ready. If you want a thicker gravy add a table spoon of flour to the gravy and stir through.
• Once the chicken has rested, drain the juices from the board into the gravy and carve the chicken. Serve with rosemary and garlic roast potatoes and buttery green beans.

Edward Camilleri

Featured image courtesy of Edward Camilleri.

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