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Easy Roast Chicken
Easy Roast Chicken (served with cranberry sauce)
I always thought that it must be really difficult to roast a whole chicken. After I read recipes and eventually tried roasting a whole bird myself, I realised that on the contrary of being difficult, roasting chicken must be one of the easiest foods to cook because 1) you just have to throw the bird into the oven, it does not require advance cooking skills like achieving wok hei in a stir fry, 2) simple ingredients of salt, pepper and olive oil will draw out the aroma of the chicken, 3) just throw in some vegetables to roast with the chicken, and you’ll have a complete meal with minimal effort. 4) you don’t really need a recipe as the ingredients are flexible. This is a good meal to impress your folks because it looks more difficult than it actually is to prepare ;)
This is a truly minimalist recipe because with the most basic ingredients of olive oil (or melted butter), salt, pepper, a few herbs of choice, and of course a whole chicken, you can prepare a roast chicken effortlessly. The oven will be doing most of the work for you. And once you get the hang of roasting a chicken the minimalist way, you will hardly need a recipe in future because you will realise that everything just comes together naturally. And from the minimalist roast chicken recipe, you can start to experiment with different flavours for the chicken, such as roast chicken with glutinuous rice stuffing. I love this minimalist style because it retains the original flavours of the chicken. Another great reason for roasting chicken – chicken stock made from roasted chicken bones is much more delicious than chicken stock made with plain bones. So when you have it, don’t waste it! Check out my tutorial for making the best-ever chicken stock from roasted chicken bones and juices.
Ingredients
(makes a whole chicken)
– 1 whole chicken , neck and feet removed, cavity emptied (I ask the butcher to do it for me)
– 1/4 cup olive oil (you can substitute with melted butter)
– sea salt & freshly cracked pepperOptional but good to add:
– herbs of choice (I like to add a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary and about 2 bay leafs)
– garlic cloves, peeled
– 1/2 lemon
– 1 celery, choppedTools needed:
– oven-safe roasting tray
– pastry brush
– kitchen twine/string (optional)Directions for roast chicken
1. Wash chicken and pat dry. Lay chicken on a oven-safe roasting tray. Stuff cavity with garlic, lemon, celery and assorted herbs, leaving some to scatter around the tray in step 3.
2. Using a pastry brush, glaze chicken with olive oil. Then rub generous amounts of sea salt all over the chicken, and crack generous amounts of black pepper all over the chicken.
3. If you like to truss the chicken (it looks better but it’s optional), tie the two drumsticks together with kitchen twine. If you are using herbs, sprinkle some of them over the chicken.
4. Roast at 220C (430F) for half hour, take out the tray and baste the chicken skin with its juices using a pastry brush. Return the bird to the oven, roast at 200C (390F) for another 20 minutes to 30 minutes till chicken is cooked (basting once more in between). The roasting time will depend on the size of your chicken. You can also roast at 220C all the way but I turn it down to 200C midway because it seems too hot to roast at 220C all the way inside my little oven.Note:
– If your oven is the small or the stand-alone type (versus the built in type), you will probably need to turn the roasting tray to the other side halfway through the roasting time to ensure more even cooking (depending on where the heat coils of the oven are located).
– If you insert a fork in the thigh area and clear juices run out (no blood), that is a good gauge that your chicken is cooked.Directions for roasting vegetables
If you like to roast vegetables together with your chicken which you really should, just cut vegetables to chunks (use roast-friendly ‘hard’ vegetables such as potatoes and carrots), coat with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and spread the vegetables as a thin layer on the roasting tray. Then prop the chicken on top of the vegetables. The good thing about roasting vegetables with your chicken is that the aroma of the vegetables will enhance the taste of the chicken, and vice versa. If you are using “softer” vegetables such as corn, tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and zucchini, you can wrap them in aluminium foil so that the vegetables cook slowly – it is kind of like “steaming” your vegetables while the rest of the foods are roasting in the oven (tip I learnt from wandering chopsticks).
Your roast chicken looks moist, cooked till just the right doneness! Boy, I can’t wait to make my first roast bird/beef/pork. Thanks for the inspiration & reminder!
Btw, wonderful photography, as always.
can’t wait to see your first roast, I’m sure they will turn out lovely :)
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yum! i love a good roast chicken. Yours has a nice colour :D
Thanks :) I like it to be golden brown hehe
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Hihi, whr to get e herbs(thyme, Rosemary,bay leafs?
Using dry or fresh kind?
Can I get at shengsiong , gaint?
Hi Charm, I’m using the fresh type. Not sure about shengsiong because I seldom go there, but I think the rest of the supermarkets (NTUC, Cold Storage, Carrefour etc) sells the fresh herbs in packets (in the fridge veggies section)
for bay leafs, I use dried ones because they are more common!
So grateful for this recipe! Truly a life saver for someone who cannot cook to save lives. I did the chicken for my X’mas gathering yesterday (yeah, kinda early), and everyone one was impressed, knowing how limited my cooking skills are!! My hubby even requested for me to roast another one for him for his X’mas gathering ;))
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Hi wiffy! I chanced upon your blog recently as I’m learning to cook. (finally got my own home & hubby+me got sick of eating ta-bao lunches & dinner! Your blog is really a saver.. I have cooked some simple dishes over the last 2 weekend and it feels really nice.. You won’t believe, i am someone who dun even know how to cook porridge!! But now, yes i can! Lol. Thks to you.
Im inviting some frens over for Xmas next mth and hoping to do some homecook stuff. Tis roast chicken recipe looks like a perfect fit!! But, question – what is kitchen twine & where can i buy them?
Thk u once again!!!! Look forward to more new recipe! ;)
that’s a kind of “string” used to tie meat. I got mine from Daiso, S$2 only. Thanks for your kind words and happy cooking.
hi. i’ve tried using ur method but i let the oven turn the chicken itself.
anw half an hour later the chicken almost split into half haha.
but overall is ok. chicken meat gt the lemon smell. refreshing. hahaha
shall tried the glutinous rice till i gt hold of the oven.
thanks for the recipe :)
*posted at the wrong recipe earlier. haha. cheers