1 x chicken
1 x large white onion
olive oil
dried or fresh thyme
6 x garlic cloves (optional)
1 large potato per person
dried rosemary
1 carrot per person
1 x parsnip person
third of a mug of frozen peas per person
gravy
1 x chicken stock cube
1 x pint of boiling water
dollop of butter
heaped desert spoon of plain flour
glug of sherry or half glass of wine
Utensils
1 x large oven
1 x small oven
knife
saucepan
colander
1 x large roasting tin
spoon
peeler
1 x small roasting tin
heatproof jug
whisk
Time
Depends on size of chicken. Check packaging for time. Otherwise rule of thumb is 25 minutes per 500g, plus an extra 25 minutes. When cooking a Roast Chicken dinner, work your times backwards from when the chicken will be ready.
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to a high heat (200 degrees)
2. Check chicken doesn't have giblets... look in the two holes at either end. Check they are not in a bag inside the chicken. Remove if they do have them.
3. Slice onion into thick slices. Put in the bottom of the roasting tin. Put chicken on top of the onion. Smother chicken in olive oil, sprinkle all over with dried thyme. Or if using fresh thyme stuff clumps of thyme into all the crevices. If using put garlic cloves into the crevices and big holes of the chicken.
4. Turn oven to 180 or high medium heat. Put roasting tin into the oven. Put oven timer to appropriate time.
5. Every 20 minutes take chicken out of the oven and spoon oil over chicken (basting)
40 minutes before the end of the chicken's cooking time.
6. Boil the kettle.
7. Peel and dice potato into 4-5cm chunks.
8. Put saucepan onto a high heat. Add boiling water and a pinch of salt. Add potatoes and boil for 10 minutes
9. Put small roasting tin with a layer of oil into oven whilst potatoes are boiling.
10. Peel and half and quarter parsnips (If doing roast carrots do same to carrots)
11. Drain potatoes in colander and add them and parsnips (and carrots) to heated roasting tin. Add rosemary, salt and pepper. Put in the oven. Wash the saucepan you are going to need it again.
12. Check them after 20 minutes. If browned put into a small oven on a low heat.
10 minutes before the end of the chicken's cooking time
13. Boil the kettle.
14. Peel and slice carrots into batons.
15. Add boiling water to saucepan, add a pinch of salt and carrots. After 2 minutes add peas. Boil for 3 minutes.
16. Drain carrots and peas in colander. Put in a dish into small warm oven. Wash the saucepan you will need it for the gravy.
17. Check chicken is cooked through by making an incision down the middle of the chicken along the bone and ensuring that the juice runs clear. If juice runs pink or red cook for a further 10 minutes.
18. When chicken is cooked remove from oven and cover in foil and put to one side to rest.
Gravy
19. Boil the kettle.
20. Dissolve the chicken stock cube in 1 pint of boiling water.
21. Put saucepan on a medium high heat. Add juices from the chicken and a dollop of butter to the saucepan. Melt butter.
22. Add flour in one go and whisk vigorously to a smooth paste.
23. Add chicken stock and sherry/wine a bit at a time. Keep stirring constantly otherwise the gravy will go lumpy.
24. When in a thickened consistency its ready!
25. Carve chicken. Make an incision all the way down the back of the chicken. Put the knife along the bones either side of the middle to separate the breast from the bones. Pull wings and legs off. To get all the meat off, turn the chicken over and take the meat from underneath.
Tips
- Take off as much meat off as you can so bones look clean.
- Slice it to add to stir fries or sandwiches or salads
- Chunk it to add to curries (see Korma recipe)
- Cooked pieces of chicken will be ok in tupperware in the fridge for a couple of days or put in freezer to use at a later date.
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