The Best Roast Chicken And Gravy Food

CLASSIC ROAST CHICKEN & GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Have a shelf ready in the middle of the oven without any shelves above it.
• Scatter 1 roughly chopped onion and 2 roughly chopped carrots over the base of a roasting tin that fits the whole 1 ½ kg chicken, but doesn't swamp it.
• Season the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, then stuff with 2 lemon halves and a small bunch of thyme, if using.
• Sit the chicken on the vegetables, smother the breast and legs all over with 25g softened butter, then season the outside with salt and pepper.
• Place in the oven and leave, undisturbed, for 1 hr 20 mins - this will give you a perfectly roasted chicken. To check, pierce the thigh with a skewer and the juices should run clear.
• Carefully remove the tin from the oven and, using a pair of tongs, lift the chicken to a dish or board to rest for 15-20 mins. As you lift the dish, let any juices from the chicken pour out of the cavity into the roasting tin.
• While the chicken is resting, make the gravy. Place the roasting tin over a low flame, then stir in 1 tbsp flour and sizzle until you have a light brown, sandy paste.
• Gradually pour in 250ml chicken stock, stirring all the time, until you have a thickened sauce.
• Simmer for 2 mins, using a wooden spoon to stir, scraping any sticky bits from the tin.
• Strain the gravy into a small saucepan, then simmer and season to taste. When you carve the bird, add any extra juices to the gravy.

PERFECT ROASTED CHICKEN AND GRAVY

Steps:

• For the Chicken---.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mix the spices in a small bowl.
• In a separate bowl, melt butter and blend with the olive oil.
• Clean out the chicken and rinse completely. Put the wings up and back so that the tips of the wings are behind the neck cavity, as if the chicken is scratching it's back. Pat the chicken dry and place on a roasting pan, elevated on a roasting rack in the pan.
• Cut the top off the head of garlic and remove the excess skin. Place inside the chicken.
• Pour the oil and butter mixture over the chicken, coating well. Pour the rest in the roasting pan under the chicken on the rack.
• Rub the Spice mixture all over the chicken, inside and out. It's okay if there is a little spice left over, you don't have to over do it. These spices will blend with the drippings and flavor your gravy too!
• Place in oven.
• Baste the chicken completely every 25 minutes until chicken is done. I like to use the pop up timers but if you prefer, the internal temperature should reach 170°F at the thickest point in the thigh, not touching the bone.
• After the chicken is done, drain it out into the pan, let as much of the juices flow out as possible.
• Place the roasting pan on a burner on your stovetop and bring the juice to a simmer, scraping all the little brown bits off the bottom with a spatula.
• Pour in the 3/4 cup of water and bring back to a simmer, continue to stir and scrape the bits up.
• Meanwhile, blend your cornstarch, lemon juice and broth, making sure there aren't any lumps.
• Whisk the Cornstarch mixture into the drippings and water, continuing to simmer. Gravy will start to thicken if kept over medium to low heat, be sure you whisk constantly to prevent clumps and to keep the gravy blended. Feel free to add more or less cornstarch until the desired consistency is reached.
• When the thickness of the gravy meets your satisfaction, pour it into a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. You can strain the gravy if you'd like, but I prefer it with the little pieces of chicken.