Roasting a chicken is a weekly event in our home, the leftovers easily stretching into three or more meals throughout the week (stock, sandwiches, salads, casseroles). I think the best roast chicken is a simple one - just a few seasonings and ingredients and you're on your way to a great meal. And an easy one at that! I love this roast chicken recipe from Jamie Oliver. The chicken is seasoned with salt and pepper then stuffed with a whole lemon and fresh sprigs of thyme. It's then roasted with rosemary and garlic scented carrots and potatoes. I like the creamier texture of red and yellow potatoes (like Yukon Gold) but you can use any potato of course. I also think any root vegetable would be delicious, such as sweet potatoes, turnips or parsnips.
Roast up a chicken this Sunday and you'll have meals all week long!
Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots
From Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
Serves 4
“This is a classic Sunday dinner that the whole family will love,” says Jamie. “It’s super simple, too. Always try to buy the best quality chicken you can afford. I’ve seen the way low-standard chickens are kept and I’d never feed them to my kids.”
5 large carrots
6 Yukon Gold or red potatoes potatoes, quartered
1 head of garlic
5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Olive oil
3 - 3 1/2 pound whole free-range chicken or the best one you can buy
1 lemon
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Step 2. Wash and halve the carrots lengthways. Thoroughly wash and quarter the potatoes (or halve them if they are on the smaller side). Add the carrots and potatoes to a large roasting pan.
Step 3: Break the head of garlic into cloves, crushing four of the cloves (within their peel) lightly with the flat side of a knife. Remove the rosemary leaves from the stems and add them, along with all of the garlic, to the roasting pan. Drizzle with oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, then toss well and spread out in an even layer.
Step 4: Rub the chicken all over with a pinch of salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil. Stuff the chicken cavity with the whole lemon and the thyme sprigs. Place the chicken in the roasting pan on top of the vegetables.
Step 5: Reduce the oven temperature to 395 F, then add the chicken and roast for 45 minutes.
Step 6: Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven, use tongs to turn the vegetables over, then spoon any juices from the roasting pan over the chicken. Return the roasting pan to the oven for a further 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. To check, pierce a chicken thigh with the tip of a sharp knife – if the juices run clear, it’s done. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and return the vegetables to the oven for a final 5 minutes to crisp up, if needed.
Step 7: Cover the chicken with a layer of tin foil and a clean towel and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes (this will help lock in the juices and keep the chicken nice and tender). Carve up the chicken and serve with the roasted vegetables and a simple green salad.
Get more recipes from Jamie Oliver here and be sure to join his Food Revolution to help change the way the world eats!
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