INGREDIENTS:

Garlicky-Lemony-Thyme Roasted Chicken

Finally, a roast chicken recipe. It's taken me ages to get round to making one, mostly because I haven't had a free Sunday for awhile. This is based on Jamie Oliver's Roast Chicken, except it's more lemon-zesty vs lemon-soury and includes honey to add a sweet balance. An extremely easy recipe too, you can just throw it in the oven and forget about it. Also serves as a wonderful excuse to indulge in some Rosemary & Duck Fat Roasties. Oh lawdy!

PREPARATION:

SERVINGS: 4

PREP-to-MOUTH: 2 hrs (excluding marinating time)

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Oven, Roasting Pan

**Start the marinade on Saturday if you plan to cook for Sunday**

• Seperate thyme leaves from stalk and add to olive oil and lemon zest.
• Stir in honey and juice from ONE lemon and mix well.
• Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, rubbing the inside and outside.
• Pour marinade into the heavy-duty ziploc bag, add the chicken and seal.
• Turn the chicken over in the bag a few times to coat in marinade, rubbing it in as you do so. Put inside a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2 hours before dinner:

• Preheat your oven to 200°C.
• Seperate the head of garlic into individual cloves. Carefully stab lemon a few times with a knife.
  
• Remove chicken from marinade and place on the roasting pan.
• Toss lemon, garlic and shallots in the marinade to coat and then stuff cavity with this gorgeous mixture.
• Lift the flap of skin under the wishbone, and tuck the little knob of butter in-between the skin and breast meat.
• Use one square of foil and cover the breast, tucking the edges between the chicken thighs.
• Pop it in the oven, and roast for 1 hour. About 30mins into the cooking, remove the protective aluminium foil and allow the breast to brown.*
• After an hour, check if the chicken is done - the thigh should pull away easily and when you pierce the thickest part, the juices should run clear. If it needs more time, leave it in for another 15mins and check again.
  
• Remove chicken from the oven and put on a large plate. Using the other 2 pieces of foil, make a little tent to cover the chicken and allow it to rest for about 20mins while you get the other stuff together.*
  
• Back to the roasting pan - pour all the juices into a little saucepan, scraping up all the deliciously-gooey-chickeny-caramel bits off the base of the pan.
• Spoon out most of the fat that's floating on top.
• Bring it to a gentle bubbly boil and then....stir in the Bisto until thickened. YES! I know, I know...BISTO! I can't help loving it. Growing up on "caff" food in the UK, it's the only authentic gravy-taste that I know!

Serve the pan-juice-Bisto gravy with the roast chicken and indulge in some roasties. Minted Peas would also go well!

*If you're making roast potatoes, put them in the oven at this point and when the chicken's done, move them up to the top shelf.