Roast Chicken – Fabulous with Minimal Effort
·Wash, dry and tie the legs
Wash a nice fresh chicken, pat it thoroughly dry and tie its legs together. If you want to go all out, stuff the chicken with a tasty filling. If you'd rather skip the extra effort and just enjoy the meal, simply tie the legs.
Season it
Season the chicken all over. Salt, pepper, sweet paprika, garlic, cumin… whatever you like.
Trim the wing tips
Cut the two end sections off the chicken wings. You'll need to bend the wing at the joint to break it, then cut it off. What's left sticking out is just the last wing section closest to the body.
Place in the roasting pan
Before roasting, tuck the trimmed-off wing pieces under the chicken so it doesn't stick to the pan. Place the seasoned chicken breast-side up into the roasting pan, resting on the wing pieces.
Add liquid, extra ingredients and roast
Pour in two glasses of water and add the chopped onion and garlic to the water. Place a few slices of butter on top of the chicken, then pop it into the oven, preheated to 200 °C.
Roasting time and temperature
Roast for about 15 minutes, until the breast turns a nice golden colour. Then lower the temperature to 160 °C and keep roasting for about another hour and a half (timing may vary slightly depending on the size of the chicken). Roast the chicken uncovered the whole time, on the lowest shelf in the oven.
Serving
Once out of the oven, let the chicken rest for a while, then carve it into portions and serve.