There is nothing quite like good old fashioned roast chicken, and It's a perfect dish for Easter Sunday. To me, it's the ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1.6 kg corn-fed chicken
- 2 small onions, peeled
- 1 whole bulb garlic
- 225 g unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- juice of 2 limes
- 900 g Jersey Royal potatoes
- 6 small sprigs fresh mint
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C 400F Gas 6.
- Use kitchen paper to pat the chicken dry, then season the cavity with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Next, place the small onions and garlic bulb in the cavity.
- Next, gently put your fingers under the flap of the skin by the neck of the bird and carefully lift the skin away from the meat over the whole breast, but be careful to leave the skin intact.
- Mix the softened butter, herbs and lime juice and season well.
- Next, carefully spread the mixture under the skin, taking care not to break the skin. Finally, spread any excess butter mixture over the top of the skin, then season with salt and pepper.
- Now, here's a good tip for you - pull out a long length of silver foil and scrunch it up into an oblong, about 5cm thick.
- Place the foil in your roasting tin and sit the chicken on top - this stops the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the roasting tin whilst it's cooking.
- Cook the chicken in the oven for about 1½ hours, or until thoroughly cooked but not dry. Keep an eye on the chicken and regularly baste it with the juices and butter, which will run out. If the chicken is browning too quickly, turn down the oven slightly, or cover the breast with a piece of foil.
- When the chicken has about 20 minutes of cooking time left, prepare the vegetables.
- When the chicken is cooked, carefully remove it from the oven and leave it to rest for 10 minutes.
- If liked, you can reduce the chicken juices by simmering them rapidly in a pan and then adding stock to make your gravy - I normally find that the chicken is so tender and moist it doesn't need to be served with gravy.
- Drizzle some of the buttery juices from the chicken over the potatoes and garnish with remaining mint.
- Place the chicken on a large serving plate - I like to take the chicken to the table to carve - and serve straight away with the vegetables.
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Nutrition Facts
Easter Roast Herbed Chicken
Amount per Serving
Calories
688
% Daily Value*
Fat
50
g
77
%
Saturated Fat
25
g
156
%
Trans Fat
1
g
Cholesterol
177
mg
59
%
Sodium
107
mg
5
%
Potassium
1038
mg
30
%
Carbohydrates
33
g
11
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
2
g
2
%
Protein
28
g
56
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
