Easy roast chicken with homemade gravy

"The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit." - Julia Child

The tradition of Sunday roast dinners in Britain has a long and rich history, dating back to at least the 15th century. King Henry VII, who ruled from 1485 to 1509, is often credited with popularizing the Sunday roast. He enjoyed a lavish Sunday meal that included roasted meats, and this practice was adopted by the nobility and, eventually, the broader population. So that humble roast chicken dinner is descended from exalted roots!

Roast chicken, often catches out cooks because there is such a fine line between a great moist roast and a dry, sad, bird. One of the most common challenges is achieving the right level of doneness. Roasting a chicken too long can lead to tough meat, while undercooking can result in unsafe, undercooked poultry. The most common error is overcooking, and there is nothing sadder than going to a pub carvery where the chicken has sat under a heat lamp all afternoon and needs a gallon of gravy just to soften it up!

My favourite part of a roast chicken is crispy, well seasoned, chicken skin. Having the right fat content on a good quality chicken can make all the difference between soggy or crispy skin.

Another great reason to have a good roast chicken on a Sunday must be leftovers! A whole chicken can feed the family for several meals and the chicken bones can be used to make delicious homemade stock. Check out our blog on the different ways to use a whole chicken here.

Song for this recipe

Easy - The Commodores

Audiobook for this recipe

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg

Ingredients:

• 1 x Whole chicken

• 1/2 x lemon

• Pinch of salt and turn of black pepper

• 1 x tbsp plain flour

• 1 x splash soy sauce

• Water from boiled vegetables

Directions:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200C (220 if not fan)

• Weigh or find the weight of the chicken. It will require 20 minutes per 400g plus an additional 20 minutes (so a 1.2kg chicken will require (3x20)+20=1hr and 20 minutes))

• Place the chicken in a roasting pan and sprinkle salt and black pepper onto the skin

• Cut a lemon in half and insert into the cavity (check there isn’t an absorbent paper or the giblets in there first!)

• Place the chicken in the oven

• After 20 minutes turn the oven down to 180C (200 if not fan) and roast for the remaining time.

• If you’re having potatoes, peel and soak them while the bird is in the hot oven and then add them to the roasting pan with around 40 minutes left of cooking time.

• Sweet potatoes/squash/parsnips can go in with 25-30 minutes remaining

• Once the bird is cooked, remove from the oven and place in warmed dish to rest. If you have boiled vegetables then have some water from the pan saved for the gravy.

• Before placing the roasting dish on the heat, add flour and incorporate the fat and juices until you have made a roux

• Add the water from the vegetables and bring to the boil while whisking to ensure your gravy isn’t lumpy

• Add a splash of soy sauce and any other seasoning required.

• Once it has boiled and reduced, your gravy is ready! Carve the chicken, serve the vegetables and pour on the gravy - then eat!