Classic roast chicken & gravy

Classic roast chicken & gravy

What more can we say? The classic roast chicken is something everyone should know and can always save the day

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 30 mins

Plus resting

Method

  1. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Have a shelf ready in the middle of the oven without any shelves above it. Scatter the vegetables over the base of a roasting tin that fits the chicken, but doesn't swamp it. Season the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, then stuff with the lemon halves and thyme, if using. Sit the chicken on the vegetables, smother the breast and legs all over with the butter, then season the outside with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and leave, undisturbed, for 1 hr 20 mins - this will give you a perfectly roasted chicken. To check, pierce the thigh with a skewer and the juices should run clear. Remove the tin from the oven and, using a pair of tongs, lift the chicken to a dish or board to rest for 15-20 mins. As you lift the dish, let any juices from the chicken pour out of the cavity into the roasting tin.
  2. While the chicken is resting, make the gravy. Place the roasting tin over a low flame, then stir in the flour and sizzle until you have a light brown, sandy paste. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring all the time, until you have a thickened sauce. Simmer for 2 mins, using a wooden spoon to stir, scraping any sticky bits from the tin. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan, then simmer and season to taste. When you carve the bird, add any extra juices to the gravy.
Try

The golden rule to roast chicken...

A 1.5kg chicken will be perfectly roasted after 1 hr 20 mins at 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. It doesn't matter what you stuff into it, rub or sprinkle over it or put around it, this timing never changes. Remember this and you will always be able to roast a chicken.

Barney says...

Ever wondered how professional cooks turn out impressive dishes without even referring to a recipe? It's simply down to basic rules, which have been followed so often that they become second nature, guaranteeing the dish will work every time. You can do the same thing at home - once you've learnt the must-dos, cooking becomes easier and you can relax and start to experiment more, knowing the end result will always be delicious. Simply follow the rules and you won't go wrong.

Other rules

Always leave your chicken to rest for at least 15 mins before carving. This will give you a juicy chicken that is a lot easier to carve. For a more succulent chicken, take it out of the fridge one hour before cooking to bring it up to room temperature. This rule applies to any meat you are roasting. Don't worry about turning or basting your chicken as it roasts. Yes, these can give good results, but are fiddly for the beginner, plus every time you open the oven you lose heat.

Per serving

567 kcalories, protein 49.0g, carbohydrate 4.0g, fat 40.0 g, saturated fat 13.0g, fibre 0.0g, sugar 1.0g, salt 0.84 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2008.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 61-74

  • Binder photo Joanne

    17 May 2012

    Joanne rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This recipe was fantastic. So easy to do and the chicken was so moist and succulent. The gravy was lovely too. Will only be using this roast chicken recipe from now on.

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  • Binder photo ktboo83

    27 May 2012

    ktboo83 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was brilliant and even had my mother in lawss seal of approval. 1st time iv'e made a sunday lunch for my mother in law.. so was a bit nervous.. she came in fussing telling me i had to do this and that... i ignoed her and carried on following the recepie.. So glad i did as the look on her fce was priceless... she even asked me for the recepie ;-) delish

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  • Binder photo S.Asanin

    27 May 2012

    S.Asanin commented on this recipe

    This is a must! In so many ways!

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  • Binder photo cosygiraffe

    13 July 2012

    cosygiraffe rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely foolproof - came out perfect.

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  • Binder photo Nataliemduffy

    21 October 2012

    Nataliemduffy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Amazing recipe the nicest roast chicken I've ever made!

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  • Binder photo chezzagaga

    04 November 2012

    chezzagaga rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    this was amazing!!! wonder what baskerville did so wrong. lol!!!

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  • Binder photo Incey41

    15 December 2012

    Incey41 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fantastic,simple recipe, fool proof.

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  • Binder photo dee

    30 December 2012

    dee rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great easy recipe ! I used olive oil instead of butter on the chicken and put 3 cloves of garlic inside instead of lemon. Then popped it in uncovered for 1hr 20 mins easy as that ! will be cooking it this way from now on. Thanks Barney :)

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  • Binder photo Nicola Ann

    20 January 2013

    Nicola Ann rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This recipe makes the best chicken gravy I have ever tasted! Completely foolproof. Only thing I tend to add is a little rosemary along with the thyme. Very excited to have this for my tea on this lovely snowy night.

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  • Binder photo Frowne

    02 February 2013

    Frowne rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This recipe is fantastic. I followed it exactly and it was perfect - moist breast, often a challenge when I cook a chook.

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  • Binder photo Frowne

    02 February 2013

    Frowne commented on this recipe

    I've cooked a lot of roast chooks and this is by far the best recipe - it was perfect.

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  • Binder photo dynamon

    13 March 2013

    dynamon commented on this recipe

    We only had a short time to cook and found this recipe very easy Most of all it was delicious and not dry, and even the white meat was tasty. For dietary reasons I substituted olive oil for the butter. I would have preferred fresh thyme but made do with the dried version. And what a lovely golden color it was when I took it out of the oven! It was so nice that I didnt add the sauce so I dont know i it would have been even better! I didn't make the sauce,

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  • Binder photo dynamon

    13 March 2013

    dynamon rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    It was such an easy recipe, specially as I only had a short time to cook it. When it came out of the oven it was a gorgeous golden color. For dietary reasons I had substituted the butter for olive oil and as I didnt have fresh thyme I made do with the dry kind. The aroma was so good that I dispensed with the sauce and we had a delicious meal. Incidentally, it was also very easy to carve as it was soft.

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  • Binder photo Cjw337

    14 April 2013

    Cjw337 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this using a cornfed chicken,lemon and thyme from the garden, and cooked it in the Weber, making the gravy on the stovetop. It was delicious - we couldn't stop picking at it!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 30 mins

Plus resting

Ingredients

FOR THE GRAVY

  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 250ml chicken stock (a cube is fine)
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Per serving

567 kcalories, protein 49.0g, carbohydrate 4.0g, fat 40.0 g, saturated fat 13.0g, fibre 0.0g, sugar 1.0g, salt 0.84 g

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