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Roast Chicken is very easy to prepare. Put a few veggies in the baking tray with the chicken and you’ve got a very easy roast chicken recipe, prepared and ready for the oven in around ten minutes.

For  a quick and convenient way to defrost frozen chicken, click here  …and you can use the chicken carcass to make your own chicken stock.

Most root vegetables roast well cooked alongside a whole chicken. Potatoes and carrots are particularly good, and parsnips work well too.

 

Here goes:

Roast Chicken – Ingredients

• One uncooked chicken (thawed, if bought frozen)
• One whole onion (for the chicken cavity)
• Oil (I use olive oil)
• Salt/Pepper
• Mixed Herbs – dried or fresh (optional)
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Parsnips (optional) or other root vegetable

Roast Chicken – Method

1. Rinse the chicken inside and out in cold water then place in a large baking tray
2. Peel the onion and place inside the chicken cavity
3. Drizzle over the chicken enough oil to form a thin layer of oil in the base of the tray
4. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with mixed herbs
5. Place in a moderate oven to heat the oil
6. While the oil is getting hot, peel the potatoes, carrots and parsnips
7. Once the oil is hot (around 5 minutes) put the veggies on either side of the chicken and carefully baste them with the hot oil
8. Return to the oven for approximately one and a half hours, or until the chicken is properly cooked (see handy hints below)
9. Let the chicken ‘rest’ for 5 or 10 minutes on a warmed serving plate before carving

Serving Suggestions

• Serve with gravy (make your own or buy the powdered kind where you just add boiling water and stir)
• If you have extra time, make some delicious Yorkshire puddings
• Stuffing is also nice with roast chicken, but you’re not going to get all the extra trimmings done in ten minutes!
• Apple sauce is another nice addition

Handy Hints

• The chicken is cooked when the juices run clear – and not blooded. Test by carefully sticking a skewer or fork between the leg and breast of the chicken
• Better to slightly over-cook. Under-cooked chicken can be dangerous to health
• Letting the roast chicken rest for 5 or 10 minutes makes the chicken more juicy (and less dry)
• The onion that went in the chicken cavity is not for eating (unless you really want to). Roast chicken just cooks better if the cavity is filled
• You can return the veggies to the oven to keep them hot while the chicken is resting (turn off the heat, if they are already well cooked)
• Because the chicken will take around one and a half hours to cook, the potatoes and carrots should be kept quite big, otherwise they will cook too quickly and burn
• If you prefer your veggies smaller, add them half way through cooking the roast chicken

If you weren’t sure how to roast a chicken, why not give it a try.  As you can see, it’s quick and easy to prepare – and delicious 🙂

Thanks for visiting my website recipe. You can leave any comments or suggestions below.

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Jan Littlehales

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