Classic Roast Chicken and Gravy
"A Canadian Living recipe, tested until perfect."
photo by Cynna
- Ready In:
- 1hr 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1 (5 lb) chicken
- 1⁄2 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1⁄2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or 1 tablespoon butter
- 3⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
- 1⁄4 teaspoon rubbed dried sage or 1/4 teaspoon dried savory (optional)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3⁄4 cup chicken stock
directions
- Remove giblets and neck, if present, from chicken; rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry with paper towels.
- Place onion and garlic in cavity; squeeze juice from lemon and set aside; add lemon to cavity.
- Tie legs together with kitchen string; tuck wings under back; brush all over with oil; sprinkle with thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; place, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan; roast, uncovered; in 325F (160C) oven for 1 ½ hours.
- Roast, basting occasionally with pan juices, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced and meat thermometer inserted in thigh registers 185F (85C), about 1 ½ hours; transfer chicken to platter and tent with foil; let stand for 10 minutes before carving.
- Skim fat from pan juices; sprinkle flour over juices; cook over medium-high heat, whisking, for 1 minute; gradually pour in chicken stock and reserved lemon juice, whisking until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes; pour into warmed gravy boat.
- Cut string holding legs together; discard onion, lemon and garlic; using kitchen scissors, cut chicken into 2 breast and 2 leg portions; cut each breast in half diagonally; cut through each leg at joint to separate into drumsticks and thighs; serve with gravy.
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Reviews
-
My boyfriend loved this! I brined the chicken first so it came out extra moist. I found that at 325 degrees it took over 2hrs to cook my 5 lb. chicken. I think that next time i'll cook it at 350. The flavor was exactly what you think of when you want roast chicken. -
The chicken was fantastic! All the right herby goodness that I crave (thyme is one of my fave-o-rites!). We weren't crazy about the gravy, we felt it was just too lemony for our personal tastes so next time I think we'll stick with traditional giblet gravy. The chicken came out perfectly roasted and we really enjoyed it! -
I use the gravy part of this recipe often for making a lovely gravy to go with roasts. I usually omit the lemon juice and tried it with the lemon tonight, but we prefer it without (or perhaps I'll try less next time). I'm so glad I have an easy go-to recipe for rich and flavorful gravy like my mother and grandmother make. Thank you! -
YUMMO!!! best chicken i have ever made!..my 4yo liked it so much she went for 2nds! I made the gravy as followed except i didn't put the lemon juice in it and it was excellent. Thankyou so much for sharing this great recipe with us!!
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Really fabulous! Flavor all the way thru the chicken! Put little red potatoes around the chicken and pulled the onion and garlic out of chicken and put together with potatoes to serve. Excellent!
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OK, here goes. I live in Athens, Greece. I moved out here many, many years ago from Ottawa, Canada - so I am blessed in having two wonderful heritages!
I suffer from compulsive obsessive behaviour with regard to food and my psychiatrist thought it would be a good idea to find a 'society' where many have the same problem and try to find a cure.
So far, I've copied a couple of thousand recipes from this site and my psychiatrist has thrown the towel in and refuses to answer the phone when I call.
What did I do wrong?
Got 3 kids that keep me on the go - 10 and under at this point (2008) - I may not get round to updating this for a few years, so you'll have to do your own maths.
I teach English full-time and Greek Cookery part-time. I would like to make the cooking part of it full-time and the English Grammar part of it part-time.
That's all for now.
