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Juicy Roast Chicken

so easy
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
rest time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8

Equipment

  • oven
  • chopping board
  • global carving knife

Ingredients

  • 2 chickens
  • 2 lemons cut into quarters
  • 4 thyme sprigs
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons cornflour

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 240°C.
    Place a wire rack over a deep baking tray and fill tray with water until just below the rack (make sure the chickens are not touching the water). Place a small strip of baking paper down the middle of the rack to stop the chicken skin from sticking. Fill the cavities of the chickens with the cut lemon and thyme and place chickens (starting breast side up) on the rack. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in oven for 20 minutes.
    Remove tray from the oven, turn chickens over and put them back on the rack, breast side down. Then reduce the temperature to 190°C and cook for a further hour or until the juices run clear. When cooked remove from oven, cover and rest for 10 minutes.
    To make gravy, remove fat from the juices (see tip) and bring juices to the boil. Take 2–3 tablespoons of the juices and mix with 2 tablespoons of cornflour in a cup. Return to tray and stir over medium heat until the gravy thickens slightly (3–4 minutes), scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the tray. To thicken gravy add more cornflour using the same method. If you wish, strain gravy through a sieve into a gravy boat.
    Serve with any salad, or try it with roast cherry tomatoes, roast pumpkin and steamed green beans.
    ***
    Tip: To remove fat add a couple of mugs of ice to the tray. The fat accumulates around the cold ice and solidifies. Collect with a slotted spoon and discard.

Notes

Tip: To remove fat add a couple of mugs of ice to the tray. The fat accumulates around the cold ice and solidifies. Collect with a slotted spoon and discard.