Sunday Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

Ingredients

• 1.8 kilogram whole chicken
• 60 gram butter, softened
• 1 piece lemon
• 6 clove garlic
• 4 piece fresh thyme
• 1 kilogram potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 4 piece carrots, cut into batons
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 250 millilitre chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon plain flour

Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven to 200°C. Pat the chicken dry all over with paper towel.
2. 2Rub the softened butter over the chicken skin. Season generously with salt and pepper.
3. 3Halve the lemon and put both halves inside the chicken cavity with 3 garlic cloves and the thyme.
4. 4Toss the potatoes and carrots with the olive oil and remaining garlic in a large roasting tray. Sit the chicken on top, breast side up.
5. 5Roast for 1 hour 20 minutes. Check doneness: pierce the thigh and the juices should run clear.
6. 6Move the chicken to a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 minutes. Keep the vegetables warm in the turned-off oven.
7. 7Make gravy: put the roasting tray with its juices over medium heat, stir in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the stock. Simmer for 3 minutes until thickened, then strain into a jug.
8. 8Carve the chicken and serve with the roast vegetables and gravy.