Name: Poulet Rôti with Crispy Skin and Herbs
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 0.375 kg chicken; 15 g butter; 1.5 clove garlic; 0.25 pcs lemon; 1 sprig thyme; 0.5 sprigs rosemary; 0.5 tablespoon olive oil; 0.25 teaspoon black pepper; 0.5 teaspoon salt; 150 g potatoes; 0.75 pcs carrot; 0.5 pcs onion; 0.5 tablespoon olive oil; salt; black pepper

Step by step process

Preparing the Chicken

1
Remove the chicken from the fridge at least 30 minutes before roasting so it reaches room temperature, this ensures more even cooking.
2
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (top and bottom heat).
3
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, inside and out, dry skin crisps up much better.
TIP:
Carefully dry the poultry with paper towels both inside and outside. Moisture prevents golden browning and crispy skin, so dry it just before baking.
4
Let the butter soften and mix it with olive oil, salt, pepper and the leaves from two sprigs of thyme.
5
Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze one half into the butter and stir to combine. Place the other half inside the chicken along with 4 garlic cloves and the remaining thyme and rosemary sprigs.
6
Carefully rub the herb butter under the skin over the breasts and thighs, use your fingers to separate the skin from the meat and spread evenly.
TIP:
Gently separate the skin from the meat and evenly spread herb-infused butter underneath. During roasting, the flavor infuses directly into the meat, achieving the perfect combination of crispy skin and juicy interior.
7
Slice the remaining 2 garlic cloves and tuck them under the skin in several places.
8
Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine so it roasts evenly and holds its shape.

Preparing the Vegetables and Roasting

9
Peel the potatoes and cut into larger chunks (about 3-4 cm). Peel the carrots and cut into diagonal slices. Cut the onion into quarters.
10
Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them across the bottom of the roasting pan to form a bed for the chicken.
11
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, breast side up. Transfer to the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes at 220 °C to start crisping the skin.
12
After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180 °C and roast for a further 50-60 minutes. Baste the chicken with the pan juices periodically, every 20 minutes is sufficient.
13
The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 74 °C and the juices run clear with no pink tinge when pierced.
TIP:
A digital thermometer is the most reliable way to check doneness without cutting into the meat. Insert it into the thickest part (for poultry into the thigh, never into the bone). Target temperatures: poultry 74°C, beef steak 63°C, pork 63°C.
14
Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes, this allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat.

Serving

15
Arrange the roasted vegetables from the bottom of the pan on a serving platter. Place the chicken in the centre and serve whole or carved into portions.
16
Strain the pan juices through a sieve into a small saucepan, bring to a brief simmer and serve as a light sauce alongside the chicken.

More tips:

For extra crispy skin, switch the oven to the grill setting (top heating element) for the last 10 minutes of roasting and keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.

Instead of potatoes and carrots, you can use seasonal vegetables as the bed, asparagus and new potatoes in spring, or squash and parsnips in autumn.

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