Sunday Roast Chicken with Lemon & Thyme
A roast chicken is the easiest way to make a Sunday feel like an occasion. One bird, an hour and a bit in the oven, and the whole house smells like you have your life together.
The trick is butter under the skin and a lemon in the cavity. That is it. That is the whole secret.
What you need
- 1 whole free-range chicken (about 1.5kg)
- 100g farm butter, softened
- 1 lemon, halved
- A small bunch of fresh thyme
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- Coarse salt and black pepper
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees C and take the chicken out of the fridge while it warms up.
- Pat the bird dry. Wet skin steams, dry skin crisps.
- Gently loosen the skin over the breasts and push half the butter underneath. Rub the rest over the outside with plenty of salt and pepper.
- Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves, thyme and garlic.
- Roast for about 1 hour 20 minutes, until the juices run clear when you poke the thickest part of the thigh.
- Rest for 15 minutes before carving. Use the resting time to fight over who gets the skin.
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