One of life's ultimate comfort foods, roast chicken, evokes memories of family mealtimes and trimmings of crunchy roast potatoes.
Angela Day presents a variety of ways to roast chicken with mouthwatering results.
On the menu
Perfect roast chicken
Sage and onion stuffed chicken
Beer can chicken
Asparagus chicken
Chicken under a brick
PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN
Cooking the chicken at such a high temperature may sound unconventional but it works. The chicken cooks quickly and stays moist.
Serves 4
1.5kg whole chicken
1 lemon, cut in quarters
4 whole garlic cloves
4 sprigs of fresh tarragon or rosemary
60g butter
salt and pepper
250ml chicken stock
125ml wine
250ml water
Heat the oven to 250degC. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon, garlic, half the tarragon and the butter.
Place the remaining tarragon in a roasting pan.
Rub the chicken all over with salt and pepper and place on top of the tarragon.
Pour the chicken stock, wine and water into the roasting pan.
Roast the chicken for 1 hour until cooked and crisp.
Serve with roast potatoes and baby carrots if desired.
During cooking, top up the liquid in the pan if necessary.
SAGE AND ONION STUFFED CHICKEN
Serves 4-6
STUFFING
30ml olive oil
30g butter
1 large onion, chopped
10ml chopped garlic
1-2 stalks of celery,finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
10ml chopped rosemary
4 slices of white bread, crumbed
60ml chopped fresh sage
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper
THE CHICKEN
1 large whole chicken, cleaned
2-3 potatoes, peeled and diced
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
olive oil for rubbing
chicken spice for seasoning
250ml wine or chicken stock
STUFFING: Heat the oil and butter and gently fry the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and rosemary until soft.
Remove from the heat and cool.
Combine with the breadcrumbs and sage, and mix.
Season to taste.
Stir in the egg and mix well.
Use this mixture to stuff the cavity of the chicken as well as the neck end, folding the excess skin over. Secure with toothpicks.
Place the chicken in a roasting tin on a bed of the sliced potatoes and carrots.
Rub the chicken with olive oil and drizzle some over the vegetables as well.
Season the chicken with some chicken spice.
Pour the wine or stock into the pan.
Roast the chicken at 180degC for 1-2 hours or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced at the thickest part.
Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Serve with the potatoes and carrots.
NOTE: While the chicken is cooking, check that the liquid in the pan does not evaporate as the vegetables will then burn. Top up with extra stock or water if necessary.
BEER CAN CHICKEN
Serves 4-6
1.5kg whole chicken
30ml brown sugar
10ml garlic salt
5ml pepper
5ml dried oregano
5ml smoked paprika
2ml chilli powder
30ml butter, at room temperature
1 lemon, cut into slices
330ml can of beer
45ml olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180degC. Wash the chicken and pat dry.
Mix the sugar, garlic salt, pepper, oregano, paprika and chilli powder in a small bowl.
In another bowl, put the soft butter. Add 5ml of the spice mix to the butter and stir until combined and smooth.
Gently lift the skin of the chicken breast and rub all the butter mixture underneath as far as you can go.
Slide the lemon slices under the skin.
Open the can of beer and pour some into a roasting pan.
Place the chicken on top of the can, with the beer can going into the cavity of the chicken.
Rub the skin with olive oil and rub the rest of the spice rub all over.
Roast the chicken for about 1 hour.
Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before removing the can.
ASPARAGUS SESAME CHICKEN
Serves 4
8 chicken portions
1 lemon, cut into chunks
45ml olive oil
30ml lemon juice
15ml Chinese five spice
salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2cm piece of ginger, sliced
200g fresh asparagus
45ml soy sauce
15ml honey
5ml sesame oil
30ml sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 180degC.
Place the chicken portions and lemon chunks in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
Sprinkle over the five spice and season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and add the garlic, ginger and asparagus.
In a jug, whisk together the soy, honey and sesame oil and pour over the chicken.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK
Spatchcocking enables chicken to cook much quicker than a whole chicken.
Serve 4-6
1 whole chicken
80g butter, softened
grated rind of 1 lemon
45ml chopped lemon thyme
salt and pepper
60ml orange juice
45ml lemon juice
60ml white wine
1 small brick, covered in foil
To spatchcock the chicken: Using kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove. (Use this to make chicken stock.) Turn the chicken over and place skin-side up on your work surface. Using your hands, press down on the breast bone firmly to flatten. Carefully push your fingers between the breast skin and flesh to separate.
Method: Mix together the butter, lemon rind, lemon thyme and seasoning. Push this mixture under the skin of the breastbone.
Heat an ovenproof griddle pan on the stove to a medium high heat.
Place the chicken breast-side down into the pan.
Place a foil-wrapped brick on top of the chicken and cook for 10-15 minutes. Putting the brick on the chicken helps more surface area make contact with the griddle pan, giving it a nice crispy skin.
When the skin is crispy and nicely browned, remove brick, take pan from the heat and turn the chicken over. Pour the orange and lemon juice and wine into the pan.
Cover the pan with foil and weigh down with the brick.
Place in the oven at 180degC for about 20 minutes.
Remove the brick and foil, and return pan to the oven for 10 minutes.
Rest the bird for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the pan juices.
NOTE: If a brick is not available, you can use an oven-proof heavy pot to weigh the chicken down.
The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.