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Roast chicken
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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
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
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.