Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 large chicken
• 2 medium onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 bulb garlic
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• 1 lemon
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme, rosemary or sage

Method

To prepare:

1. Take the chicken out of the fridge 30mins before going into the oven. Preheat oven to 240°C.
2. Wash and roughly chop the vegetables (no need to peel them as there are nutrients in the vegetable skin, such as fiber).
3. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled.
4. Place all veg and garlic into middle of large roasting tray and pour with olive oil.
5. Drizzle chicken with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife. Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, along with the herbs.

To cook:

1. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put in your preheated oven. Turn the heat down immediately to 200°C and cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes. If you’re also cooking roast potatoes and vegetables, place them in the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking.
2. Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if veg looks dry, add a splash of water to the tray to prevent burning.
3. When cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover with a layer of tinfoil and a tea towel and put aside.