Lemon & Thyme Butter-Basted Roast Chicken (Gluten-Free)
"An easy roast chicken for a family weekend baked dinner. From BBC GoodFood magazine"
photo by Outta Here
- Ready In:
- 1hr 55mins
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Yields:
-
1 roast chicken
- Serves:
- 4
ingredients
- 50 g butter, softened (no substitutes)
- 1 bunch fresh thyme or 1 bunch lemon thyme, leaves picked, stalks reserved, plus extra to serve
- 4 garlic cloves, 1 mashed, the other 3 left whole but squashed
- 2 lemons, halved
- 1 chicken, about 1 . 5kg (number 15 chicken)
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
directions
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
- In a small bowl, mash the butter with one-third of the thyme leaves, the mashed garlic and the juice of half a lemon. Mix everything together. Add salt and pepper to taste as seasoning. Set aside.
- Use your hand to loosen the chicken skin away from the breast, then push most of the butter mix into the gap. Rub the rest of the butter all over the outside of the chicken.
- Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves, remaining thyme leaves and stalks, and the garlic.
- Scatter the chopped carrot, onion and bay leaves over the base of a small roasting tin.
- Sit the chicken on top, breast-side up, and roast on the middle shelf for 1 hr 30 mins, basting with the buttery juices after about 40 minutes
- When the chicken is dark golden, crispy-skinned and the juices run clear, remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes.
- Use a pair of tongs to pull the lemons, garlic and thyme out of the cavity and into the tin.
- Lift the chicken up, letting any juices dribble into the tin.
- Allow the chicken to a serving platter to rest for at least another 15 minutes.
- Optional- you can use the pan juices to make into a gravy if wished.
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Reviews
-
OMG!!! This was the most moist chicken breast meat I have ever eaten. Not only was it moist, it was so tasty with the garlic, lemon and thyme. Then the onions, carrot and bay leaves really flavored the juices for a great gravy. I had problems getting the lemon juice to mix in with the butter mixture, so I put the mixture under the skin and with what was left, I microwaved it to melt the butter and juice together and then used it to baste the chicken. This will definitely be a repeat at this house. Made for ZWT8. -
Yum! I love lemon with my chicken. I had pretty big lemons so I think I used more than I needed to. I had to use rubbed thyme because I don't have access to fresh right now. Would like to try it again with fresh thyme and use less lemon. I also need to lower my temperature, seems my oven may run hot. Made for Aus/NZ Recipe Swap #76! -
Very moist and flavorful. I also added about 4 fresh sage leaves, minced, to the butter-herb mixture. I had trouble getting the lemon juice incorporated too, so I mixed as well as I could and poured the remainder of the juice over the top of the chicken. Next time I will zest one of the lemons and mix that in with the butter. Cooking time was perfect. Made for Best of 2012 game.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Jubes
Australia
Aussie Mum - gluten-free
