You will Need
| roasting tin | ||
| 1 | chicken | |
| butter | ||
| optional ingredients |
fat - to baste herbs garlic lemon |
Method
The chicken needs to be unwrapped and patted down with a paper towel. The inside cavities (one inside the bones, the other inside the neck) should be checked for packets of giblets (cooked plastic bags don’t taste great).
Place the chicken breast upwards in the roasting tin.
Chicken dries out quickly in the oven, so it is a good idea to stuff the main cavity as this helps keep it moist. Stuffing can be put in either cavity. If you don’t have stuffing you could use a lemon or two, cut into quarters so the flavour gets out (or even a couple of potatoes). These would only go into the main cavity. You can add a few sprigs of fresh herbs to the cavity for flavour if wanted. Thyme goes well with chicken.
Smear butter over the skin, particularly around the creases (e.g. where the legs and wings join the body). For a garlicky flavour cut thin slivers from a garlic bulb and using a sharp knife slide them under the skin.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and cook for 40 minutes per kilo (and sometimes an additional 20 mins though not always necessary). Baste regularly with the juices from the bottom of the pan to keep the meat moist.