Recipe: Perfect Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 medium Free range chicken
- 5 garlic cloves
- half a head of garlic
- half a lemon
- 100 g Butter
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 200 C (Gas Mark 6 or 400 F).Put the chicken in a roasting pan, stuff half a lemon into the cavity. Cut a garlic head in half and place inside the chicken.
Peel, crush and well chop 5 garlic cloves. Rub 50 grams of butter and the chopped garlic all over the outside of the chicken.
Pour over 1 teaspoon of olive oil and rub in. This prevents the butter from burning as it roasts. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
Break the remaining 50 grams of butter into knobs and place around the chicken in the roasting pan.
Step 2
Put the pan in the oven and roast for 15 minutes at 200 C (Gas Mark 6, 400 F), set the oven to 180 C (Gas Mark 6, 400 F).After roasting for 1 hour and 15 minutes, check the chicken. Use a sharp knife cut down into the joint between the thigh and the breast.
The chicken's juices will run out and you will be able to see the meat. If the juices and meat are slightly pink return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
Check again. This time the juices should run clear, and meat will be white.
If not return the chicken to the oven until done.
Step 3
Remove the chicken and wrap tightly in tin foil. Settle for 10 to 15 minutes. Carve and serve.