Whole Roasted Chicken
A whole chicken roasted over potatoes, carrots and onions in white wine, with herb butter under the skin for juicy meat and extra-crispy skin.
Ingredients
Method
Wash the chicken and pat it completely dry. Heat the oven to 200°C.
Chop the thyme, rosemary and garlic and mix them with the spices and the soft butter. Shape half of the butter into two small rolls.
Rub the outside of the chicken with the other half of the herb butter, then slide one butter roll under the skin of each breast.
Fill the cavity with fresh herb sprigs and lemon slices.
Chop the onions, potatoes and carrots, toss them with the olive oil, and spread them in the roasting pan. Sit the chicken on top.
Mix the white wine and chicken stock and pour it into the pan around the chicken.
Roast at 200°C for 30 minutes, basting with the wine and stock mixture. Then turn the oven up to 220°C and switch on the fan, and roast for another 30 minutes to crisp the skin, basting again. If the skin gets too dark, cover loosely with foil.
Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving, and serve with the roasted vegetables.
For a quick gravy, pour the pan juices into a pot, bring to a simmer, then stir in 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with a splash of cold water until slightly thickened.
Butter under the skin is the trick for juicy breast meat, and the wine and stock mix keeps the vegetables from drying out while the skin crisps. Roasting time depends on the size of your bird, the juices should run clear and the thickest part of the thigh should reach 75°C.