Sunday Roast Chicken
⏱️ 2 hours
🍽️ Serves 4
👨🍳 Easy
There's something magical about a perfectly roasted chicken. Golden, crispy skin. Juicy, flavourful meat. The smell filling your house and making everyone appear in the kitchen asking "is it ready yet?" It's comfort food at its absolute finest.
This is the roast chicken that converted me from "buying those sad supermarket rotisserie ones" to "actually knowing how to cook properly." It's embarrassingly easy, endlessly forgiving, and makes you look like an absolute legend. The secret? High heat, good butter, and leaving it the heck alone.
Perfect for lazy Sundays when you want something special without the stress. Throw it in the oven, go watch Netflix, come back to crispy-skinned perfection. The leftovers (if there are any!) make the best sandwiches you'll eat all week.
Preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking — room temp chicken cooks more evenly!
Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels, inside and out. This is THE secret to crispy skin. Dry chicken = crispy chicken. Science!
Rub the softened butter all over the chicken — under the skin where you can, and all over the outside. Season generously with salt and pepper. Don't be shy!
Stuff the cavity with lemon halves, garlic halves, and half the herbs. This flavours the chicken from the inside out and makes your kitchen smell incredible.
Toss the potatoes, carrots, and onions with olive oil, salt, pepper, and remaining herbs. Scatter them in a large roasting tray and place the chicken on top.
Roast for 20 minutes at 220°C, then reduce the heat to 180°C and cook for another 1 hour 20 minutes. The juices should run clear when you poke the thickest part of the thigh.
Remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. This lets the juices redistribute — don't skip this step or you'll have dry chicken!
Carve it up, pile the crispy veg around it, and serve family-style in the middle of the table. Watch everyone fight over the crispy skin. You've earned it!
