Name: Really useful roast chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: medium whole chicken (about 1.6kg); 1 lemon halved; 1 onion cut into wedges; 2 tbsp olive oil; few thyme or rosemary sprigs, or even a couple of bay leaves

Home
Recipes
Really useful roast chicken

Really useful roast chicken

Jane Hornby

Save recipe

Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 10 mins

A star rating of 5 out of 5.2 ratingsRate

loading...

This succulent all-purpose roast can be enjoyed with trimmings on Sunday or used as the basis for other satisfying meals

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Warm lentil salad with Serrano, chicken & rocket

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.14 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

medium whole chicken

(about 1.6kg)
1 lemon

halved
1 onion

cut into wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
few thyme or rosemary

sprigs, or even a couple of bay leaves

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: per serving

kcal434
fat25g
saturates8g
carbs1g
sugars1g
fibre0g
protein51g
salt0.39g

low

Method

step 1

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Untie the legs and sit the chicken in a roasting tin, preferably non-stick. Push the lemon, half the onion and a few herb sprigs into the cavity. Re-tie the legs with string if you like. Turn the chicken over so the breast side is facing down, season generously, then drizzle with half the oil. Roast for 30 mins.
step 2

Carefully turn the chicken over, add the remaining onion and a few more herb sprigs to the tin, then toss them with any juices. Season the breast side, then drizzle with remaining oil. Roast for 40 mins until deep golden and smelling irresistible. Test chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh; the juices should run clear. If they don’t, give it 10 more mins, then check again. Cool for 30 mins, then use your hands to pull the meat from the bones in big pieces (this is far easier than when the chicken is cold, plus you can get it in the fridge more quickly to completely cool down). Chill for up to 3 days, or use the warm meat for one of my recipes (see below).

RECIPE TIPS

CHICKEN, DILL & PEA PILAF

Fry 1 sliced onion and 1 crushed garlic clove in 50g butter for 10 mins. Rinse 300g basmati rice, stir into the pan, add 1 litre chicken stock, then boil. Stir once, season, cover, then cook for 15 mins. Add 200g frozen peas and the meat from 2 cooked chicken legs and thighs. Stir, then leave for 10 mins. Fork through juice 1 lemon and a handful chopped dill and toasted flaked almonds.

CLUB SANDWICH SALAD

Grill 2 rashers bacon until crisp, then chop. Mix 1 tbsp mayo with 50ml soured cream and 1½ tsp wine vinegar. Season. Slice 1 ripe avocado. Toss with the bacon, 1 torn Romaine heart and the shredded meat from 2 cooked chicken breasts. Drizzle with dressing. Serve with 4 toasted ciabatta slices, drizzled with a little oil and rubbed with a cut garlic clove

Recipe from Good Food magazine, August 2009

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 5 out of 5.2 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now