Roast chicken has to be one of my favourite things to eat. I actually get excited at the thought of making it for dinner…sad perhaps but I don’t care!
If you have looked at my links page you will see that I am all for organic chicken and in Ireland we are lucky to have brands such as Born Free available in good butchers shops. Be sure to use the healthy carcass for stock.
1 chicken – weight according to your requirements
2 lemons
A small bunch of fresh rosemary
Soft butter
1 garlic head-cut across the middle
Potatoes, peeled and quartered
Coarse sea salt
Heat your oven to 190ºc.
Halve the lemons and prick one half with a fork, cut the remaining lemons into wedges and set aside. Put the half lemon into the chicken cavity with the rosemary and one half head of garlic.
Place the potatoes and the remaining garlic into a roasting tin and toss with oil and season. Move the potatoes to the edges of the tin and place the chicken in the centre. Brush butter all over the chicken and season.
Cook the chicken allowing twenty mins per pound plus an additional twenty mins, brushing the bird twice during this time with more butter.
When cooked, remove the chicken and allow to rest on a platter covered with foil. This rest time ensures moist meat.
In the meantime, turn up the oven temp to 220ºc, add the lemon wedges, toss with the potatoes and return to the oven for 15-20 mins until potatoes are crisp and golden.
The Born Free organic chickens are excellent, they retail at approx. € 17.99 and you usually get 5lbs of wonderful, tasty meat.
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