Roast Chicken with Lemon & Garlic Gravy

print pdf

Let the chicken come to room temperature
Preheat oven to 190C
Remove pith from lemon (it will make the gravy bitter)
In this order, place the thyme, lemon and knob of garlic in the cavity – this will beautifully roast the garlic and infuse the chicken with lemon and garlic
Lightly cover the bird with oil and season, then massage the salt and pepper into the skin – this helps create a crispy, golden skin
Cook for 20-25 mins for every 500g chicken or until the juices run clear
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 mins
With a friend’s help, drain the pan juices into a wide based frypan (this will involve some contortion as you want the lemon juice from inside the cavity to run out too.
Remove the knob of garlic and squeeze as much roasted garlic as you like into the fry pan. If the garlic is still quite solid, mash it with the back of a spoon so that it mixes through the gravy.
Mix cornflour and chicken stock into the cold water then add to the pan juices
Bring the fry pan to a medium-high heat and stir continuously to avoid lumps. It will take a while to thicken but will thicken suddenly, so keep stirring!
When the gravy is as thick as you like it, remove from heat and taste. If the lemon and garlic are strong, balance with a pinch or two of rapadura sugar, but a little goes a long way so do this in stages.

Subscribe to our Newsletter