Sunday roast chicken with garlic butter
A whole bird under a thick garlic-herb butter, roasted until the skin shatters and the pan juices can dress a table of potatoes.
Prep20 min
Cook1 hr 15 min
Total1 hr 35 min
Yield6 at the table
Ingredients
- 1.8 kg whole chicken
- 100 g unsalted butter, soft
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon
- 1 onion, halved
- salt
Method
Step 1
Heat the oven to 220°C. Mix butter, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and a heavy pinch of salt.
Step 2
Loosen the breast skin and push most of the butter underneath. Rub the rest over the bird. Salt the skin.
Step 3
Stuff the cavity with lemon halves and onion. Roast 20 minutes, then drop to 190°C for 50–55 minutes more.
Step 4
Rest 15 minutes. Splatter the pan juices over the carved meat.
Why this plate
If this site is a bible, the roast chicken is Genesis. Learn this, and the rest of dinner starts to make sense.
Questions
How do I know it is cooked?
The thickest part of the thigh should read 75°C and the juices should run clear. Resting finishes the cook.