Sunday Lemon & Herb Roast Chicken
The roast chicken that never goes out of fashion — crisp skin, fragrant herbs, and a pan sauce worthy of good bread.
A good roast chicken is the measure of a cook. Not because it is difficult — it is not — but because it rewards attention to a few unglamorous details: dry skin, a hot pan, patience.
This is the version we return to. Serve it with good bread to mop the pan, a green salad, and a bottle of something you have been saving.
Ingredients
- 1 free-range chicken, approx. 1.8kg
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 whole head of garlic, halved horizontally
- A generous bunch of thyme and rosemary
- 3 tbsp good olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 150ml dry white wine
- 1 tbsp cold butter, cubed
Method
- 1
Take the chicken out of the fridge an hour before cooking and pat it thoroughly dry, inside and out. Dry skin is crisp skin — this is the step most people skip.
- 2
Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Season the cavity generously with salt, then stuff with the lemon, garlic and half the herbs. Rub the skin all over with olive oil and season heavily with salt and pepper.
- 3
Place the chicken in a heavy roasting tin and roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C (160°C fan) and continue roasting for 50–60 minutes, basting once or twice, until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced.
- 4
Lift the chicken onto a board to rest for at least 15 minutes. Set the tin over a medium flame, pour in the wine and scrape up the sticky bits. Simmer until reduced by half, then whisk in the cold butter for a glossy pan sauce. Carve and serve with the sauce spooned over.
Resting is not optional. A chicken carved straight from the oven loses its juices to the board; one rested for fifteen minutes keeps them in the meat where they belong.
Mains
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Maple-Roasted Squash & Sage Risotto
Autumn on a plate — roasted squash folded through slow-stirred arborio, finished with butter, parmesan and crisp sage.
Maple-Cider Thanksgiving Turkey
The Canadian Thanksgiving centrepiece — a heritage bird glazed with maple and cider, roasted slowly until golden, with pan gravy worthy of the table.
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