Or Turkey!
This Christmas marked (if I do say so myself,) the best turkey I have roasted thus far, although my turkey was really imposter – as only three of us eat meat, I instead sourced the largest chicken I could find, and nobody was any the wiser. I use a simple method that involves no brining, or excessive preparation, and has always turned out a juicy bird. I use a garlic butter on and under the skin, and root vegetables at the base of the roasting tin to lift the bird and contribute towards a flavoursome gravy.I have been fairly detailed in writing this method, but you’ll see its very straightforward and yields delicious results.
First, make your garlic butter. I use half a pat of soft lurpak unsalted butter. In a bowl I combine this with 6 crushes cloves of garlic, a generous few pinches of salt, and a tablespoon of dried mixed herbs and a few cracks of black pepper. Put this to one side at room temperature.If necessary, remove any giblets and use a sharp pair of kitchen scissors to remove the parsons nose.Prepare your roasting tin, a deeper tin, with a lid works best – here’s a link to the type I use:https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07F2FH3T8?pd_rd_i=B07F2FH3T8&pd_rd_w=WvF2Z&pf_rd_p=3ec6df4b-16ab-45fd-a468-a6a02a2d3c02&pd_rd_wg=adIlO&pf_rd_r=XNSE0Z906PBJJJ5K9VXY&pd_rd_r=129d015a-87b2-4788-8c8b-28813a4455e7I chop 3 large white onions in half and place these on the bottom of the tin, along with a whole bulb of garlic chopped in half, half a lemon, cut into 2 pieces, and a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme. The onion halves serve two functions: They act as a stand, holding the bird up from the bottom of the pan – ensuring a more even cook, they also contribute greatly towards the gravy, cooking down with the juices that come from the chicken.Using your fingers gently lift the skin from the breast of the bird, creating 2 deep pockets for the garlic butter. Spread a quarter of the garlic butter under each side of the breast. You can use a spoon to help you, but it prefer hands. Try not to break the skin. Should you wish after this point you can sprinkle and rub a tiny amount of paprika onto the chicken breast skin (outside). This will help with giving your bird a rich golden brown colour when it’s finished cooking.If you are stuffing your bird, do so now, placing the stuffing along the bottom of the cavity, still leaving some room for the air to get in. I add half a lemon to the opening of the cavity.Rub most of the remaining garlic butter over the top of the breast. I use hands. Rub what you have left over the red of the bird (wing, leg, thighs) so the whole bird is covered into the garlic butter. Place the bird on your onion stand, cover, and place into the oven. As per the cooking instructions of your particular weight/type of bird.3/4 of the way through the cooking time, remove the lid, put the heat up a little and finish your bird. This will help you get a crisp and brown skin.When the bird is cooked (juices should run clear) remove from the roasting tin. You should have plenty liquid at the base of the pan. I add an extra half cup of chicken stock and gently simmer this on your hob, adding fresh parsley and seasoning to taste. If you’d like a thicker gravy, a tablespoon amount of cornflour will help your gravy along. Keep simmering for a few minutes. Strain your gravy through a sieve. To serve, I take the lemon from the cavity and instead replace with a large bunch of fresh herbs: parsley, rosemary and thyme. I pinched this idea from Chef Daniel Humm – it’s a simple way to elevate your presentation.Congratulations! You’ve unlocked yet another way to win friends and influence people, by mastering this roast. You’re unlikely to have an abundance of leftovers, but if you do, the chicken is great cold the next day in sandwiches or broken into a Ceasar salad.Enjoy!Sabrina Goodlife.
