Beautifully roasted chicken for one, which will hopefully cheer up some of you who think roasting a whole chicken for one is a waste. This will leave your home smelling amazing while giving you multiple moist and tender chicken meals.
Preparation:
To cook:
Level: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 Small onion, quartered
- 1-½ Lemons, quartered, divided
- 1 bulb Garlic
- 1 whole Carrot, thickly sliced on the bias
- 1 bunch (small) Rosemary, Divided
- Olive oil, as needed
- 1 kilogram Entire chicken
- Salt and pepper to taste
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1 cube chicken stock
- 200 milliliters Boiling water
- 1 tbsp Flour
Preparation
Prepare the chicken. Remove all packaging and place on cutting board and pat dry with paper towel. The goal is to remove as much moisture as possible. Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F).
Prepare the trivet. This is the mixture of vegetables that will go between the roasting pan and the chicken. Add onion, 6 lemon wedges and carrots to roasting pan. Crush the garlic into individual cloves (no need to peel them).
Take about half of the rosemary, remove the leaves by running your finger along the stem in the opposite direction of leaf growth. Finely chop the leaves and set aside.
Add a few glasses of olive oil to the skin of the chicken. Rub it in with your hands, making sure to cover the entire surface of the flesh. Season well with sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle chopped rosemary leaves on top. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with a few remaining lemon wedges and a good bunch of remaining rosemary.
Place the chicken on the trivet and lightly place a piece of aluminum foil on top. Add to the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 180 ºC (355 ºF).
Once the chicken has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove the foil and set aside. Return the chicken to the oven for another hour.
Remove the chicken from the baking sheet and place it on a cutting board. Cover again with foil to keep warm. Meanwhile, if you want gravy with your chicken, keep going. Otherwise, let the chicken sit for 10-15 minutes and continue carving.
To make the sauce, mix the chicken stock cube with boiling water and set aside. Take the drip pan and tilt it slightly. Use a spoon to remove the top layer of fat from the tops of the juices.
Immediately place the roasting pan on the hob over medium heat. When the liquid begins to simmer, add half the chicken broth. Add the flour to a few tablespoons of water in a separate bowl and mix well. Slowly add to the baking sheet.
Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash the vegetables into the sauce mixture to release the flavor. Continue to add the rest of the broth to the mixture, slowly, until you have the desired consistency.
Sieve the contents of the baking sheet into a carafe or a sauce boat. Carve your chicken and voila!
