ROAST CHICKEN with Garlic Butter, Caramelised Vegetables & Thyme
The best roast chicken is built on heat, salt, fat and a good pan. There is nothing delicate about this one. The chicken is rubbed with garlic butter until the skin is glossed from wingtip to drumstick. The vegetables sit below it in the roasting pan, catching the drippings as the skin turns deep gold and the edges begin to blister. The result is a tray of caramelised pumpkin, fennel, red onion and potatoes that tastes as good as the bird itself. A hot start gives you the crackle. Lower heat takes the chicken through to the bone without burning the garlic butter. The last step is the pan jus: a quick deglaze with white wine and stock, lifted straight from all the caramelised bits left behind. Do not leave it in the roasting tray. That is the good stuff.
This is an oven recipe, but it belongs on the table in the pan, with a board for carving and good bread nearby. Nothing needs to be complicated. It just needs to be cooked properly.
AT A GLANCE
Serves 4 to 6
Prep time 25 minutes, plus optional overnight dry brine
Cook time 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
Oven 220 degrees C, then 185 degrees C conventional
Target internal 75 degrees C in the thickest part of the thigh
Rest 15 to 20 minutes
Tray Large heavy roasting tray, with a rack if available
Difficulty Easy. The oven does the work.
INGREDIENTS:
THE CHICKEN
1 Whole chicken, 1.8 to 2 kg
2 tsp Flaky sea salt, plus extra to finish
1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
100 g Unsalted butter, softened
5 cloves Garlic, finely grated or crushed
1 Lemon, finely zested, then halved
2 tbsp Fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp Olive oil
INGREDIENTS:
THE VEGETABLES
700 g Potatoes, halved or quartered
700 g Kent pumpkin, cut into 4 cm wedges, skin on
3 Carrots, scrubbed and halved lengthways
1 Fennel bulb, cut into thick wedges
2 Red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 Garlic bulb, halved crosswise
3 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Honey
1 tsp Ground fennel seed, lightly crushed
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
INGREDIENTS:
THYME JUS
125 ml Dry white wine
250 ml Good quality chicken stock
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Cold butter Reserved roast garlic and thyme from the tray
METHOD
01. DRY BRINE THE CHICKEN
For the best skin, season the chicken all over with the salt the night before and leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge.
If you are cooking it on the day, season it as early as possible and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting.
Pat the chicken completely dry before it goes into the oven.
Tip: Dry skin is how you get crackling skin. If the bird comes straight from the fridge, it will cook unevenly and the skin will not render as well.
02. MAKE THE GARLIC BUTTER
Combine the softened butter, grated garlic, lemon zest, thyme leaves, chopped rosemary and black pepper in a small bowl.
Loosen the skin over the breast carefully with your fingers, keeping it attached at the edges. Push half the garlic butter under the skin and smooth it across both breasts.
Rub the remaining butter over the outside of the bird.
Tip: Use your hands, not a spoon, to work the butter under the skin. It is the direct contact with the breast meat that keeps it juicy and seasons it right through.
03. BUILD THE VEGETABLE TRAY
Heat the oven to 220 degrees C conventional.
Add the potatoes, pumpkin, carrot, fennel, red onion and halved garlic bulb to a large roasting tray. Toss with olive oil, honey, crushed fennel seed, salt and pepper.
Spread everything into a single layer with room for the hot air to move around it. Put the lemon halves in among the vegetables, cut-side up.
Tip: Cut the vegetables large. They need enough size to hold their shape after soaking up the chicken fat and pan juices.
04. ROAST HOT, THEN LOWER THE HEAT
Sit the chicken on a rack over the vegetables if you have one. If not, nestle it directly on top of the vegetables breast-side up.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Roast at 220 degrees C for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven to 185 degrees C.
Continue roasting for 55 to 70 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 75 degrees C on an instant-read thermometer and the juices run clear.
Tip: If the skin is colouring too quickly after the first 20 minutes, lower the oven by 10 degrees C. If it is pale at the end, give it a final 5 minutes at 220 degrees C.
05. TURN THE VEGETABLES
At the 45-minute mark, use tongs to turn the vegetables through the roasting juices.
Baste the chicken lightly with the pan fat, keeping the skin exposed rather than flooded.
Return the tray to the oven and let the vegetables finish with dark edges, soft centres and all the flavour from the chicken above.
Tip: The lemon should look almost burnt by the end. That bitterness is useful. Squeeze it over the vegetables before serving.
06. REST THE CHICKEN AND FINISH THE VEGETABLES
Transfer the chicken to a board or warm plate and rest it loosely covered for 15 to 20 minutes.
Return the vegetables to the oven at 220 degrees C while the chicken rests. This gives them a final blast of heat and makes the pumpkin edges caramelise properly.
Tip: Do not skip the rest. The breast meat needs that time for the juices to settle back into the flesh instead of running onto the board.
07. MAKE THE THYME JUS
Lift the vegetables from the tray into a warm serving dish.
Put the roasting tray over medium heat on the stovetop. Squeeze in a few softened garlic cloves from the roasted bulb and add the wine. Scrape every browned piece from the base with a wooden spoon, then add the chicken stock, Dijon and vinegar.
Simmer until reduced by about half.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the cold butter until the jus turns glossy.
Stir through any thyme leaves left in the tray.
Tip: The jus should be rich enough to coat the back of a spoon, not thick like gravy. A spoon of the chicken resting juices will deepen it further.
08. CARVE AND SERVE
Using your Classic Chef's Knife, remove the legs through the natural joints, then separate the drumsticks from the thighs if you like.
Use the Slicer to carve the breast meat in long, clean slices against the grain, keeping the skin attached where possible.
Pile the chicken on top of the vegetables, spoon over the thyme jus, finish with flaky salt and serve straight away.
Tip: Keep the breast slices a little thicker than you think. Thin slices cool quickly and lose their juice on the board.
SERVE WITH:
Good bread for the jus. A bitter leaf salad dressed with lemon and olive oil.
A crisp Chardonnay, pale ale or something cold with enough bite to keep the garlic butter in check.
Leave the roasting tray on the table for anyone who wants the darker bits from the corners.
THE RIGHT KNIFE
There are two jobs here. The Classic Chef's Knife gets the tray ready: clean work through pumpkin, carrot, fennel and onion, then precise work at the joints when it is time to break down the bird.
The Slicer takes over for the breast. Its long, fine edge gives you a clean draw through the crisp skin and tender meat, so each slice stays intact and lands properly on the platter.
BEST VALUE
Stainless Slicer + Two Steak Knives $380 AUD (Limited time only)
Or choose the individual pieces:
Classic Chef's Knife | from $300 AUD Slicer - Forged Finish | $365 AUD
Classic Steak Knives | from $250 AUD
