A top tip for you, roast chicken is much better with gravy! This must be the best gravy you have ever had with roast chicken. There are thousands of recipes for roast chicken but the golden rule is make sure it stays moist – not dry. I provide my top tip to ensure this.

Be sure to order free range chicken here

Print Recipe

Roast Chicken with unbelievable gravy

Roast chicken is so versatile but many people still get it wrong. This gravy is amazing and also a top tip on how to roast a chicken

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: Roast

Ingredients

• 1 Free Range Chicken
• 1 onion
• 1 large carrot peeled – keep trimmings
• 1 stick celery peeled – keep trimmings
• 1 bulb garlic
• paprika
• 4 sprigs Fresh thyme
• 1 small bunch parsley
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 cube/sachet chicken stock whatever you have – to make 200 ml
• 1 tbsp Flour or corn flour will be used as a thickener
• 400 ml white wine not expensive please – that is for drinking!
• 200 ml water
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C
• Roughly chop the carrot, onion, celery and spread out in your roasting tray. Cyt the garlic bulb in half and add to the tray with the thyme, and bay leaf – spread it out.
• Trim the chicken of wing tips, parsons nose and any loose skin bits and keep with other trimmings. Season the chicken, including the inside cavity – with salt and pepper
• Place the chicken in the tray on tip of the vegetables. Sprinkle the chicken with olive oil and about a teaspoon of paprika. Get your hands dirty! Rub the chicken all over and make sure there is a nice red glow everywhere… get in to all the nooks and crannies.
• Place the wine and water in the roasting tray, cover with tin foil and roast for 1 hour. The liquid will help the meat to stay moist. Nobody likes a dry chicken!
• Meanwhile, lets get the gravy going. Put 500ml of water in a pot, add all leftover trimmings and bring to the boil. Then add the stock cube or sachet.
• NOTE: If you are using your own stick then only start with 300 ml of water then add 200ml of the stock
• Reduce to a gentle simmer
• Back to the chicken, after an hour, remove the foil from the roasting tray, baste the chicken with the pan juices. Turn the oven up to 200°C and roast for another 25-30 minutes without the foil. This will get the skin nice and crispy.
• To check if done, if the juices run clear from the thigh area when poked – you all set. Take the chicken out of the roasting pan and set aside.
• Now, remove the garlic and discard. Place the roasting pan on the hob over medium high heat. Using a masher, start mashing up what is left in the pan and be sure to scrape any bits and peices from the bottom.
• Stir in the flour, then pour in the gravy you had going in the pot – and bring to the boil.
• Keep stirring, mashing and reducing until you get that consistency of a gravy.
• If its too watery, just add more flour. If you find its too thick, add more water. Use yoru judgement hear
• When you happy, the last step is to strain it
• Bonappetit!

Notes

The big tip here about roasting chicken. I always add wine/water and cover with foil for 1 hour. This keeps the chicken moist without burning the skin. The last 30 minutes crank up the tempreture and finish it off.