Roasted Christmas chicken
It can be overwhelming when planning your holiday menus, if like me, you are thinking of what to put on the table that would taste different from your weeknight dinner. I know, you are not alone, I have been there! The truth is, I don’t always have roast turkey on my table for Christmas or any holiday but I always have a chicken roast. Apart from the fact that we love eating chicken, I find it easy to cook too and since I have a small oven, I can always cook the chicken along with the potatoes or veggies. This chicken is packed full flavours that is perfect for the cold weather. That said, this roast chicken can be made all year round.
Tips for a perfect roast chicken
Use free-range chicken, it can be a little pricey but it is worth it. Your chicken comes out moist and delicious at all times. Especially if you would be serving this roast at Christmas, it is ok to splurge a little more on the chicken. Your guest and family would thank you for the wholesome and nutrient-packed bird.
Don’t scrimp on the butter and thrive to use quality butter too. I love using Kerrygold and Lurpak.
Use fresh herbs whenever you can.
For more flavour, season the chicken 1 hour or overnight before you cook with salt and pepper.
Make sure you put the butter and herb mixture under the skin and in the cavity of the chicken.
Elevate the chicken on the baking rack during cooking. One of the best ways of doing this is by placing the bird on a vegetable bed or on a trivet if you own an instant pot. My friend told me about the trivet hack. By doing this, the chicken cooks evenly as the air in the oven circulate around it and you can catch the drippings in the pan at the same time. You can make the best-tasting chicken gravy from the process. If you would like to make your own chicken gravy with pan drippings or sauce, follow the steps I used in making my turkey gravy to make yours.
Tent the chicken with a foil if it begins to brown quickly, also place the bird in the middle rack of your oven for even distribution of heat and air.
Ingredients to make the best roast chicken
Free range whole chicken: My bird is about 2kg (about 4.4 pound) Orange zest Fresh Oranges Lemon Carrots Onion Garlic Rosemary Sage: I used fresh sage leaves, you can substitute with one teaspoon of dried sage Fresh Thyme Parsley Butter Salt and freshly crushed black pepper Chicken stock (optional)
How To Make Roast Christmas Chicken
Bring out the chicken about half an hour before use so it comes to room temperature. Pat the chicken with a kitchen towel so it is dry. Preheat the oven at 200C/400F Loosen the skin on the breast of the chicken carefully using sliding your fingers under the skin or with the back of a spoon. Season the chicken including the cavity with salt and black pepper Cut the carrots into chucks, cut the garlic bulb in halves then the onions, oranges and lemon in quarters then place in the roasting pan. Reserve 2 orange wedges and lemon for later. Set aside and proceed to prepping the chicken. Finely chop the herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley) and add to the butter then mix to combine with the orange zest. If the butter is still hard, place it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to soften it. First, rub the herb butter on the back of the chicken then place it on the vegetable bed in the roasting pan breast side up. Rub the herb butter under the loosened skin of the bird and all over it including the cavity. Stuff the cavity with the reserved lemon and orange wedges. Place the chicken in the oven and roast until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the bird reads 165C/75F. For my chicken size, I roasted for about 2 hours, that is 30 minutes for every 0.5kg of the bird.
How long to roast a chicken
The general idea is to roast a chicken in the oven 20 to 30minutes for every ½ kilo or 1 pound. Eg 1.5kg chicken would be roasted anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes depending on the temperature you cook it on. 2kg around 80 to 120 minutes. That said, a more accurate way of knowing if a chicken is well done is by using meat thermometer.
What to serve with Christmas chicken
The best chicken roast is severed with other delicious sides like this scalloped potatoes, pigs in blankets, bacon sprouts, garlic smashed potatoes or jollof rice.
How to store leftovers
This roast chicken makes the best leftover dishes like chicken panini or chicken sandwich. It can also be added to ramen noodles or chicken noodle soup. To store in the fridge, let it cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
More recipes you will love
Roast lamb with gravy Simple chicken roast Brown sugar glazed carrots Creamy garlic mashed potatoes If you made this simple roast chicken recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #THEDINNERBITE OR TAG @THEDINNERBITE ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!
