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Perfect roast chicken recipe

July 31, 2013
by Chelsea Winter
15 Comments

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IMG_8160 2

Tender, succulent, perfect roast chicken

Not all roasted chickens are created equal. Surely you just pop the chook in a roasting dish and cook according to packet directions? Actually, I reckon that dries the chicken out, and this method gives far juicier results. No, the skin doesn’t end up crispy – but the meat is tender and succulent (even the breast meat). I know which I’d rather have!

Safety pointers
This recipe is based on a size 14-16 chicken. If you’re using a large size 20-24 chicken, cook it for an extra 10 minutes at each temperature. If in doubt, check the juices are running clear (not pink) from the innermost part of the breast or thigh. If you have a meat thermometer, internal temp needs to be 74c.

Defrosting a frozen chicken
It’s very important the chicken is fully defrosted before you cook it. Defrost a frozen chicken in the fridge overnight, in its packet on a plate – don’t use the microwave. The standard rule says that every ½ a kg (500g) of chicken takes about 5 hours to defrost in the fridge. Chicken that’s been defrosted in the fridge can be safely kept there for an additional one to two days before cooking.

Prep time – 15 minutes
Cooking time – 40 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Olive oil, for drizzling
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 size 14-16 chicken (preferably free-range)
50g butter, softened
Handful fresh herbs – rosemary stalks, thyme strands, sage
1 lemon, halved

Gravy (optional)
1 ½ cups chicken stock
2 tsp cornflour or 1 tbsp flour mixed with 3 tbsp water

Method

IMPORTANT: Take your (fully defrosted) chicken out of the fridge one hour before you cook it, so it’s not chilled when it goes into the oven.

Preheat the oven to 220c fan bake and set a rack in the lower half of the oven.

Arrange the onion and garlic in a small/medium metal roasting tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Place the chicken on a clean board and pat the skin dry all over with paper towels. Tip it up and sprinkle a large pinch of salt into the cavity, then cram it full of the lemon and herbs (this helps flavour the chicken).

Carefully poke half the butter in between the breast meat and the skin (carefully so you don’t tear the skin). Rub the other half all over the legs. Transfer the chicken to the roasting dish, breast-side up, sitting on the onions and garlic. Drizzle all over with olive oil. Massage it in and season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes – it’ll be a nice dark golden brown colour (it might make angry spitting noises and smoke a little bit but that’s all part of it.) Baste it once with the cooking juices while it cooks.

Without taking the chicken out, reduce the oven temperature to 160c regular bake and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven. Using a metal spatula, gently turn the chicken breast-side down in the tray. Place the whole tray on a wooden chopping board (so it doesn’t lose too much heat), cover tightly with a layer of foil and lay a teatowel over top. Let it sit like that for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour). Don’t skip this step – the chicken will finish cooking while it rests. When ready to serve, turn out breast-side up onto the board and carve.

Serve with my perfect crispy roasted potatoes (roast them while the chicken is resting), gravy (see below) and green beans and peas or a salad.

Gravy

To make a gravy, place the roasting tray, containing the veges and juices from the chicken, on the stovetop over a medium heat. Add the chicken stock and cornflour mixture.

Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until thickened into a gravy – about 5 minutes. Add more liquid or more cornflour mixture if need be, until it’s the right consistency. Make sure you scrape up all those lovely caramelised chicken bits off the bottom – these add colour and a real depth of flavour.

Add 1 tbsp butter, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain through a sieve and pour into a jug or gravy boat.

Storage/tips

  • For exceptional added flavour, chop up the roasted chicken wings and add them in. You can also add 1 tsp powdered chicken stock for extra flavour.

 

15 Comments
  1. Claire Cotton September 22, 2013 at 3:13 am Reply
    Hey Chels, If I am using a small size 10 chook what would the timing be like at each phase? Cheers!!
    • Chelsea Winter September 22, 2013 at 10:42 pm Reply
      Still the same cooking times will be fine, just shave 5 minutes off the first high heat :)
  2. Sarah November 17, 2013 at 1:28 am Reply
    Hi, I have an old gas oven, so no fan bake. What temperatures should I use and how much would I increase the cooking time? Thanks!
    • Chelsea Winter November 18, 2013 at 1:04 am Reply
      Hi Sarah, just up the oven temps by 10c for each stage :)
  3. WendyTimarac July 17, 2016 at 5:26 am Reply
    This is honestly the best way to roast a chicken, it is so moist and yummy!!
  4. Tash August 4, 2016 at 8:16 am Reply
    Thank you for this recipe, it was delicious! The breast meat is so moist and the flavour is devine. I absolutely love your recipes. My family loved dinner tonight. You rock! :)
  5. Janet November 21, 2016 at 2:11 am Reply
    Hi Chelsea, I have a size 16 chock, 45 mins doesn't seem long enough to cook it through??
    • Chelsea Winter December 1, 2016 at 1:12 am Reply
      As long as it's not chilled when it goes in the oven it will be fine.
  6. Grove December 27, 2016 at 6:04 am Reply
    This is hands down the nicest roast chicken I have ever had or made! So ridiculously easy and such a crowd pleaser!
  7. Sally December 30, 2016 at 4:01 am Reply
    Made this last week and my family said it was the best roast chicken they ever had, followed it up with your pavlova recipe which was also a huge success and I used up the egg yolks by making lemon curd as a topping - yummy! Thanks so much
  8. Robb January 7, 2017 at 7:20 am Reply
    Made this tonight and it was the best roast chicken I have ever made. The caramelised chicken and onion bits were divine. The crispy roasted potatoes were damn good as well.
  9. Terri July 21, 2018 at 7:56 am Reply
    Wow this is amazing! So moist and flavoursome and dead easy to follow the recipe. Love your recipes Chelsea - makes me feel like the MasterChef I am not!!
  10. Kirsty Renall January 25, 2019 at 3:21 am Reply
    One of my favourite ways to cook a roast chook! Although I have never used such a high heat to begin with and added the wings to the gravy, what a difference! Thank you for the helpful hints!!! Amazing 😉
  11. Bianca March 29, 2020 at 11:49 pm Reply
    Hello Chelsea, I have a 1.9kh Chicken, what size is that? Just trying to work out my cooking times. Thanks in advance
    • Chelsea Winter March 30, 2020 at 10:37 pm Reply
      Are you putting a chicken in your bread? :D

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