Roast Chicken With Thyme

This Roast Chicken with Thyme recipe is as good as it gets. It takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and the chicken comes out SO tender you don’t even need a knife!

Quick, easy, stress-free roast chicken recipe! What more could you want? This chicken comes out super moist and flavorful. It’s ready in less than an hour and is an easy dinner everyone loves. Serve it with a side of carrots or some potatoes and dinner is served. Even the pickiest eaters will love this one!

Roast Chicken with Thyme

It really couldn’t be more simple – a little bit of preparation and into the oven.

1 h 30 min

NUTRITION PER SERVING

• kcal590kcal
• protein37g
• total fat30g
• iron2mg
• carbs40g

Ingredients

• 1½kg chicken
• 1 lemon
• Small bunch fresh thyme
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablesp. olive oil
• A little salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

200°C (400°F) at Gas Mark 6 in the oven. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and stuff the cavity with a sprig of thyme and a lemon.

The remaining thyme stalks should be stripped of their leaves, and they should be combined with the garlic, olive oil, and spices in a bowl. Brush the chicken with this mixture after combining it.

Roast the chicken for 30 minutes in the oven with a loose foil covering. After that, lower the temperature to 180°C (350°F) at Gas Mark 4.

Roast for a further 50 to 60 minutes after removing the foil. When the juices run clear when the thigh of the bird is penetrated with a skewer, the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

On a carving board, transfer the chicken, and cover loosely with foil. While you prepare the gravy, give the meat 15 minutes to rest.

Over the stove, stir the pan juices to fully reheat them. Boil up after adding a little stock or water.

Delicious when paired with chunky potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and half a head of garlic, all of which can be roasted with the chicken for the final 20 minutes of cooking.

• MAIN-MEALS

Garlic & Thyme Butter Roast Chicken with Pan Sauce

Make sure to pat the chicken dry before applying the butter underneath and on top of the skin if you want a crispy skin. Pushing your fingers inside the skin will help loosen it so you can then stuff it with butter. You want to get the butter deep inside the skin, into every crevice, and into every hidden pocket.

•  1hr 15minutes
•  Serves 4

METHOD

1. A big pestle and mortar should be filled with the garlic, thyme, and a liberal amount of sea salt. The salt acts as an abrasive and aids in breaking down the garlic. Before adding the butter and carefully combining, mash to a smooth paste.
2. Put the onions and chicken in a big roasting pan.
3. Use your fingers to gently separate the chicken skin from the meat. Spread the remaining butter on top to coat after working the majority of it beneath the skin. Add a little oil to the onions and heavily salt and pepper the entire dish.
4. When a skewer is placed into the thickest portion of the thigh, the fluids should run clear and the meat should be thoroughly done, golden, and cooked through.
5. When done cooking, take the chicken and onions out of the tray, arrange them on a carving board, and wrap them in foil. Before splitting into parts and slicing the breasts, let them 10 minutes to rest. Place on a dish for serving and reheat in the oven.
6. Place the liquid, the roasting tray’s contents, and the gravy fat separator jug on the burner over medium heat. Pour the non-fatty liquid back into the tray.
7. Whisk briskly into the pan juices after adding the flour. This should be combined with the white wine, which you should then simmer for two to three minutes to cook the alcohol off. Bring to a boil after including the chicken stock. Stir often while simmering until reduced and thickened. Serve the gravy, garden peas, roast potatoes, and carrots with the roast chicken after seasoning to taste.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken: 

10 garlic cloves, peeled 

4 thyme sprigs, leaves removed 

100g butter, softened 

1.5kg free range chicken 

3 onions, cut into wedges

Rapeseed oil, to drizzle

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the gravy:

25g plain flour 

125ml white wine 

250ml chicken stock 

To serve: 

200g cooked garden peas

Roast potatoes

Carrots vichy

CHICKEN WITH ROASTED LEMONS, RED ONION, THYME AND GARLIC

1 HR 

TO COOK

Something lovely happens to lemons when they’re roasted – they lose some of their sharp edge and taste more mellow.

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METHOD

Remove the string holding the chicken’s legs together so that the joints are loose and take the chicken out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to cook it. This will help the chicken cook faster. If it’s a hot day, only give it around 30 minutes.

Now add the onion, lemon, and garlic to the roasting pan along with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place the chicken in the center of the tin after pushing everything to the sides. Apply the remaining olive oil on the bird’s skin and rub it in. After that, place the chicken in a circle with the onion wedges, lemon, and garlic cloves. Sprinkle the thyme leaves and the little sprigs of thyme over everything in the tin after thoroughly seasoning with salt and black pepper.

After roasting the chicken for an hour, add the red onions, lemon, and garlic to a carving board. The bird should be covered with foil and let 20 minutes to rest.

While you wait, remove the extra fat from the juices in the roasting pan using a tablespoon. Then, put the pan over direct heat, add the wine, and allow everything boil and shrink to about half its former size. Once the sauce has warmed through, add the crème fraîche and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and adjust the spice. Make sure everyone has a piece of onion, lemon, and garlic before carving the chicken and placing it on warm plates. Then, pour some sauce over the chicken and serve the remaining sauce in a jug. Add any liquids to the sauce at this point.

As you consume the garlic, you can squeeze out the cloves’ garlic and scrape the lemony meat off the skins.

INGREDIENTS

1 x 3 lb (1.35 kg) chicken

1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 6 wedges through the root

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves and a few small sprigs

6 cloves garlic (no need to peel them)

1 large lemon, quartered, plus a squeeze of lemon juice for the sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 fl oz (275 ml) dry white wine

2 tablespoons crème fraîche

salt and freshly ground black pepper

ADDITIONAL

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).

EQUIPMENT

You will also need a solid-based, flameproof roasting tin, 9 x 11 inches (23 x 28 cm), and 2 inches (5 cm) deep.