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Overhead shoot of a white plate with a whole roasted chicken and veggies
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4.88 from 8 votes

How To Roast A Whole Chicken

Learn how to roast a whole chicken to perfection and have all your questions answered, plus a delicious recipe of Roast Chicken with Lemon, Thyme and Rosemary, and lots other fantastic recipes of roast chicken, side dishes and gravy. Not sure how to defrost a whole chicken, how long to roast the chicken for, what's the best temperature? You've come to the right place.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Romanian
Servings: 1 chicken
Calories: 1619kcal

Ingredients

For the roast chicken

  • 1 whole chicken (1.2kg, 2.65 pounds)
  • 1 lemon
  • a few thyme sprigs
  • a few rosemary sprigs
  • 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 25 g butter
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the gravy

  • 1 teaspoon plain flour
  • 1 cube chicken stock (broth)

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius (450 Fahrenheit).
  • Arrange the chicken on a disposable roasting tray and season with salt and pepper.
  • Use a sharp knife to make a small incision in the skin, and use your hands to separate the skin away from the breast.
  • Place a few butter cubes and rosemary and thyme sprigs.
  • Add some herbs and lemon slices inside the chicken cavity, along with some more butter, then arrange the rest of the lemon slices and herbs on top and around the chicken.
  • Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius (356 Fahrenheit)
  • Roast for a further 55 minutes, basting the chicken a few times during roasting with the chicken juices from the pan.
  • Once cooked through, leave to rest fro 15 minutes before carving.
  • To make the gravy, transfer the juices from the tray into a pan, add the flour and chicken stock togeher with 400 ml water (13 oz) and stir for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.
  • Pass through a sieve to remove any bits that might have been left from the chicken.
  • Serve with roast chicken with the side of your choice and gravy.

Notes

The cooking time will change depending on the size of the chicken, please see the post for more tips.

Nutrition

Calories: 1619kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 121g | Fat: 117g | Saturated Fat: 40g | Cholesterol: 534mg | Sodium: 633mg | Potassium: 1421mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1525IU | Vitamin C: 72.2mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 6.7mg