Herby slow-roast chicken

Roasts recipe for 6 people, takes only 50 mins; recipe has garlic, rosemary, lemon thyme, sage, bay leaf, lemon, olive oil, chicken, carrot, new potato, red onion, butter and white wine.

Herby slow-roast chicken

Herby slow-roast chicken

Recipe by Chef Soomro Course: Roasts
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

25 mins

Ingredients

  • Olive Oil: 4 tbsp olive oil
  • Red Onion: 2 medium red onions, cut into wedges
  • Carrot: 400g carrot, halved
  • Lemon: 2 small lemons, zested
  • Butter: 100g butter, softened
  • Chicken: 1 medium chicken - the best quality you can afford
  • Bay Leaf: 1 large bunch bay leaves
  • New Potato: 500g baby new potato, halved
  • Rosemary: 1 large bunch rosemary
  • White Wine: 150ml white wine
  • Sage: 1 large bunch sage
  • Garlic: 2 small garlic bulbs, cloves separated but not peeled
  • Lemon Thyme: 1 large bunch lemon thyme

Directions

  1. Roughly bash the garlic cloves and herbs (a rolling pin or meat mallet is good for this), then put in a large food bag or dish with the lemon zest, oil and chicken. Rub everything into the chicken, inside and out. Leave to marinate overnight.
  2. Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 mins before you want to cook it. Put the vegetables in a large roasting tin and top with the chicken. Scatter the herbs and garlic from the marinade over, around and inside the bird. Push the 2 lemons inside the chicken too, halving to fit if necessary. Rub the butter all over the skin and season generously.
  3. Pour the wine into the tin with 150ml water, cover tightly with a tent of foil (so it doesn't touch the top of the bird) and cook for 2 hrs. Remove the foil and continue cooking for 1 hr more, or until the chicken is cooked and the juices run clear. Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 and roast for 25-30 mins more until the skin is really crisp. Lift the chicken from the tin to rest on a plate for 30 mins, covered again with the foil.
  4. Meanwhile, put the roasting tin on the hob and bubble to reduce the cooking juices a little. Add any juices from the rested chicken and season to taste. Serve the bird in the middle of the table to share, alongside the buttery veg.