Mum's roast chicken
This week I moved into my new home and as we unpacked boxes and arranged everything in its place, it becomes clear that a house doesn't become a home until you've cooked in it. This week I share my mum's recipe for roast chicken. Made with a handful of quality ingredients it's quick to prepare and creates a feeling of warmth and comfort as the gentle aroma of rosemary, lemon and chicken fill the house (especially over a chilly English weekend). The apple cider vinegar helps to crisp up the chicken skin, and when you use the pan juices and carcass to make stock, it helps to break down the collagen in the chicken bones and tissue, releasing extra gelatin.
Ingredients
- 1 kg organic chicken, butterflied
- handful fresh rosemary sprigs
- 3 shallots, peeled and halved
- 1 lemon cut into quarters
- sea salt flakes (we used Maldon)
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup organic Greek apple cider vinegar (we used Olivelogy)
- cranberry sauce and dijon mustard (to serve)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius (fan force).
- Step 2 Line a baking tray with the rosemary, shallots and lemon wedges. Place the butterflied chicken on top.
- Step 3 Salt the skin of the chicken and sprinkle over the white pepper and drizzle with some olive oil.
- Step 4 Cook for 20-30 minutes, then remove from the oven and pour over the apple cider vinegar. Return to the oven and cook until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reads 70 degrees celsius and the skin is crispy and golden.
- Step 5 Leave to rest for 20-30 minutes (the internal temperature will continue to rise during this time). Serve with cranberry sauce and dijon mustard.
“I like to think of home as a verb, something we keep recreating.” Madeleine Thien
I love this recipe because it’s familiar tastes take me back to basics and let me exercise my creativity, reminding me that there are different ways of approaching things. For example, I use the carcass, leftover chicken bones and pan juices to make chicken stock, (which I freeze and use for a variety of different recipes, including soups and risotto), while any roast meat turns into a tasty Waldorf salad the next day for lunch. This connects me not only to my personal home but also reminds me of my place in nature, and the importance of making the most of its gifts and minimising waste.
