Ingredients
- 1 Organic free-range chicken (approx 1.6kg)
- 2 Medium onions
- 2 Carrots
- 2 sticks of celery
- 1 Bulb of garlic
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Lemon
- A small bunch of fresh thyme rosemary, bay or sage, or a mixture
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9
- There is no need to peel the vegetables just give them a wash and roughly chop them
- Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled
- Pile all the veg and garlic into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil
- Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the bird.
- Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife Tip: If you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds to really bring out the flavour.
- Put the lemon inside the chicken's cavity, with the bunch of herbs
- Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven and turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook the chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
- Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them burning.
- 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.
- Use the juices from the backing tray to make your gravy.
- Enjoy!
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