September 29, 2009

Simple Roast Chicken


I totally support Jamie Oliver's "Ministry of Food". In case you haven't heard about this campaign, this is basically about inspiring people who used to cook or have never cooked before to get into their kitchens and make simple and delicious food from scratch. Once you've mastered a recipe, you'd teach it to two more people and then ask them to teach it to someone else, he called it "Pass it On".

So, my friend, if your family dinner has been cursed by those fast-food chains for ages just because you barely cook, I'm now passing it on this super easy recipe hoping that you could give your family a break for just one day a week.

(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
4 springs rosemary
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp unsalted butter, soften
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp cornstarch (dissolved with 2 tbsp warm water)

Directions:
Heat oven to 450F. Remove giblets and liver from cavity, discard. Let chicken rest at room temperature for an hour.

Trim excess fat from cavity. Rinse chicken thoroughly under cold water, inside and out, then pat as dry as possible all over the cavity and the skin.

Season cavity with salt and pepper, then stuff with lemon, rosemary and garlic.

Rub skin with 2 tbsp soften butter. Season all over generously with salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a large ovenproof skillet. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165F, about an hour. Transfer chicken to a platter, let rest for 15 mins before carving.

To prepare gravy, discard fat from juice in the skillet. Place pan over medium high heat. Pour in wine and broth to deglaze pan, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon.

Cook until reduced by half, add cornstarch mixture to thicken. Pour through a fine sieve into a serve bowl.

Serve chicken with gravy.

30 comments:

KennyT said...

Jamie is one of my favourite chefs. I even dined at Fifteen when I was travelling in London, hoping to see if he was around. But unfortunately, he wasn't there, hahahaha.

Nicole said...

i never think to buy a whole chicken since it's just my husband and i - but this looks so good i might have to!

Divina Pe said...

That's a great looking roast chicken. I'm glad Jamie is doing this not for himself for all of us and it's our turn to do our part.

Family American Style. said...

Your recipes look simply irresistible.

ann low said...

Thank you for passing the recipe, Lululu :)

Fresh Local and Best said...

I love the simplicity of this recipe. The best part is that most of these ingredients are already in my kitchen!

TasteHongKong said...

Right, this is great to share.

MaryMoh said...

I love anything simple and easy. This looks easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing.

Angie's Recipes said...

I like Jamie's cooking too.
Simple roast chicken looks yummy.

Angie's Recipes

Short and Bald said...

this is simple and healthy. cooking a whole chicken is a great idea, making sandwiches with the left overs ^^

penny aka jeroxie said...

I love simple roast. The colour on the chicken is fab! :)

Simply Life said...

Oh that looks like the perfect family meal!

Tasty Eats At Home said...

I love roast chicken. A perfectly roasted chicken, with crispy skin (especially with rosemary scented skin, yum) is so wonderful. Yours looks splendid. And to ncl117, it's just my husband and I too, but we generally buy a smaller chicken and I roast it. There's leftovers, usually, but those go on top of salads for lunch the next day. If you have a LOT of leftovers, then make tacos! Roast chicken is so awesome that way.

theUngourmet said...

Roast chicken is so handy. I love the rosemary in there!

I love Jamie! :0)

The Duo Dishes said...

That's a ministry we could surely subscribe to. Roasting chicken is too easy not to do.

Cookin' Canuck said...

There's nothing better than a simply roasted chicken. This is definitely one to pass on to family and friends.

Steven said...

Jamie is also one of my favorites, but I am always looking to make the perfect roast chicken. I try different techniques and recipes a few times a month. My favorite is the classic Julia Child recipe.
The Jamie Oliver program to teach people to cook is awesome. Nice site lululu.

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Best,
EcoMeg

Veronica Lee said...

That looks totally delicious!!

Jessie said...

i love simple roast chicken, sometimes simplicity is best for a nice delicious meal.

Miranda said...

Wow. That looks beautiful.
I just roasted three chickens. I was making tamales...
Thanks for the perfect recipe.

Olive said...

I love Jamie Oliver too!
I love your roasted chicken, it looks delicious.. don't throw away the carcass, you can use it for making chicken stock ;)

SmartShopIt said...

Simplicity at its best! Roast chicken reminds me of Sunday dinners at grandma's!

Find a Smart Buy Price, Nutritional Information and coupons at at SmartShopIt.com for Foster Farms Whole Chicken.

Kathy B! said...

This sounds delicious and simple. Love your blog :)

koralee said...

Your images are always amazing..they make me want to bake/cook everything...my goal this weekend is to bake your bars from last post and maybe it is time for a chicken as well! Thanks for the inspiration!

angela@spinachtiger said...

Bravo. Everyone should cook real food, and once they get that first taste of it, it goes from there. There IS a difference between that home cooked roast chicken and one you can bring home in a box.

Mardi Michels said...

Beautiful chicken!
I am going to see Jamie Oliver speak at the end of November in Toronto - can't wait!

Jhonny walker said...

This is what I love...simple tricks to make delish meals!

Anna said...

Roast chickens sure do make easy, delicious meals. I always use this recipe to roast a chicken --- I like adding the veggies from the beginning so that the meat and vegetable flavors meld together. But simple is good too!

Unknown said...

An absolute classic. I'll take the leg daaaaaaahling!
*kisses* HH