Jamie Oliver’s Fantastic Roast Chicken

When I decided on an impulse to cook a post-Christmas dinner with trimmings, I originally wanted to serve turkey. However, frozen turkey was abominably expensive so I opted instead for chicken. I bought a fresh chicken from the market in the largest size available – 2.4kg. Its the biggest I’ve ever cooked in my life!

So, when I decided to roast a chicken, I looked up a few recipes online, but I finally found the recipe in a book I had. Jamie Oliver’s Fantastic Roast Chicken recipe! I modified it slightly to suit the ingredients I had on hand, but it turned out FANTASTIC!

Jamie Oliver wasn’t kidding when he said this was a fast, easy and fantastic recipe. It was my first time roasting a chicken and it was a resounding success! I will definitely be using this recipe again! Here is my version of Jamie Oliver’s Fantastic Roast Chicken.

You Need:-

• 1 whole chicken 1.8kg with skin on
• 1 whole lemon
• 1/2 block of butter softened
• 2 large yellow onions cut into chunks
• 2 medium sized carrots cut into chunks
• 500g small potatoes cut into halves
• Dried mixed herbs
• Salt& Pepper
• 8 rashers of back bacon
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• Aluminium foil

How to:-

1. Pre heat the oven to 220 degrees for about 20 minutes.
2. Wash the chicken inside out and pat dry with some paper towels.
3. Peel the rind off the lemon and chop it into fine bits. Tear the bacon into little bits and add to the softened butter together with the chopped garlic and lemon rind. The butter should be soft so it is squishy but not melted to a liquid. I leave the butter out to soften a few minutes before I’m ready to start cooking.
4. Add some mixed herbs to the butter and some salt and pepper.
5. Carefully, with the chicken cavity facing you, peel the skin of the chicken away from the flesh without tearing it. You should feel a pocket form between the skin and flesh.
6. Using your hands, pick up some of the butter mixture and stuff it into the pocket you just created. Repeat on the other side.
7. Rub the rest of the butter mixture all over the chicken, inside and outside. It helps crisp the skin and adds flavour while it cooks. If you have any remainder mix, just place it in the cavity of the chicken.
8. Slice the lemon in half, poke the flesh a little with a fork then place the lemon halves into the chicken cavity. You can tie the legs together at this point, or just leave them.
9. Tear off some smallish pieces of aluminium foil and wrap it around the wing tips and ends of the chicken drumsticks to prevent it burning.
10. Place the chicken in the hot oven and leave it for 25 minutes.
11. After 25 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven. You will notice that the butter has melted into the tray and the skin is starting to brown. With a pair of tongs or chopsticks, lift the chicken and quickly toss the potatoes, carrots and onion chunks in the butter. Then, place the chicken back onto the bed of vegetables and return to the oven for 45 minutes.
12. About 15 minutes before the chicken is ready, open the oven and remove the foil so the wing tips and drumstick tips brown evenly.
13. To test if the chicken is done, stick a tester or knife into the drumstick or breast area of the chicken and see the juice that runs out. If its clear, its done. If its red, leave it a while longer.
14. When its done, remove and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

I found that the chicken developed a lovely crisp skin which I attribute to the butter. The chicken has a lovely smell and taste and is really delicious! I removed the chicken and vegetables from the roasting tray, and then, made a sauce with the juices.

Sauce for roast chicken (Optional)

1. After removing the chicken and vegetables from the roasting tray, place the roasting tray on the stove top and heat up the remaining liquid in the pan.
2. Add some water or stock or some white wine depending on what you have on hand.
3. Add a squeeze of the lemon from the chicken cavity.
4. Bring to a boil and let it reduce a little. You can thicken it with some cornflour or just leave it runny.

The slightly tangy taste of the sauce from the lemon juice adds a lovely flavour to the roast chicken.

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Tagged as: Chicken