Perfect roast chicken
It’s time to revisit some old favourites, which for some reasons have never found their way to the blog. One of them is roast chicken: possibly one of the simplest dishes out there, and great for the very same reason.
Growing up, roast chicken was the ultimate and most frequent visitor for Sunday lunch. We’d rub it with spices (family secret mix) few days in advance and when cooked, it would be the most fragrant roast chicken and incredibly tasty too.
Marinating the chicken with spices far in advance was key as was the fact that my grandma grew all chickens, which I’m certain added plenty to the taste. These conditions would be difficult repeat now (mostly the hens in the back yard part), and preparing something a few days in advance is not always convenient, especially when a quick and care free recipe is needed for dinner, lunch or last minute dinner party, something today’s recipe is all about.
It’s quick, it’s easy and the result is a juicy chicken good enough for any occasion, or even weeknight, should you wish so, we all deserve to indulge without any particular reason, don’t we?
Fresh herbs and limes, make up for a wonderful aroma and a little white wine is all you’ll need for a bit of sauce (because wine makes everything taste better in my book), and voila a perfect roast, for me at least.
As for the family recipe I’ve praised so much before, if one day I can convince my grandma to give up her secret spice mix (I have to admit, even I don’t know it…), it will find its way here, but for now, here’s my take on roast chicken:
p.s. frequent visitors will have probably noticed a profound drop in the level of photography around here, that’s basically due to ieva being buried in work and me actually attempting to be friends with camera. This relationship, folks, still needs plenty of nurturing…
- 1 whole free range chicken (1,5 kg)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper
- 1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 heaped tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 limes
- 3-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 200 ml white wine
- 4-7 large potatoes, cut into chunks
- 3-4 large carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 heads of garlic
- Heat the oven to 180C.
- Wash the chicken with cold water and pat dry.
- Mix salt with pepper, herbs and zest of two limes (reserve 1 teaspoon of spice mixture) and season generously the cavity of the chicken and rub the spices with a little olive oil onto the skin of the chicken. Cut the zested limes in quarters and stuff the chicken. Place the chicken on a baking tray.
- Mix the remaining teaspoon of spices with a few tablespoons of oil and coat carrots, potatoes, garlic and scatter them loosely around the chicken.
- Bake for 1hour 15- 30 minutes. To check the whether it’s done, pierce the chicken with a knife, the juice should come out clear.
- Next, place the chicken upside down on a tray (to gather all the liquid, this is perfect as a sauce), cover with plenty of foil and allow resting for at least 15 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, let the potatoes and carrots roast a little longer.
- Serve chicken with roast veggies and any remaining pan juices.
It looks wonderful! That would make a perfect Sunday meal.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks Rosa!
Roast chicken is such a comforting meal!
Yes, precisely there’s something about it that screams “home”.
that does look perfect! Love the nice crispy skin and i bet the middle is so juicy! LOVE IT
Thanks so much
I want this chicken for dinner! We always prefer chicken over turkey and still trying to learn good roast chicken. Yours sounds “perfect” to me!
Thanks Nami, I prefer chicken to turkey too (actually, my oven is so small, I think a decent size turkey wouldn’t fit in it).
I don’t need a reason to indulge in roast chicken either.
Love that you echoed the flavor by adding the spice mix to the veggies, too!
Thanks Kim, roast chicken is perfect for anytime
A roast chicken is a favorite in our house for a meal and leftovers going into sandwiches. Yours looks terrific.
Thanks Karen!
I love how simple and rustic is this recipe — so comforting!
Thanks Kiran!
I didn’t have roast chicken until I was an adult, and between how great it was, how easy it was and cheap it was, I can not believe that everyone doesn’t roast chicken regularly. I make one at least once a month, one of my favorite Sunday Suppers. Yours looks beautiful.
Thanks Jackie, I can’t imagine how you’ve went without tasting roasted chicken all these years?!
I am not so much for meat tables bu this is looking soo good, I wouldn’t mind at all.
Thanks Ella, I come from a family of carnivores, so for us meat used to be the only way
It looks like a perfect roast chicken. It’s also one of my favourite dishes and my mum also used to make it often on Sunday, but she would cut it into portions before baking. I think that everyone has his or her own unique way to bake chicken or even to season it.
You nailed it! The roasted chicken looks just so delectable & appetizing too!
Beautififul pics roo!
MMMMMM!