I cooked: Roast Chicken

The key to cooking a good roast chicken is in the chicken itself. Always choose a good quality chicken, preferably free range or organic. You will be surprised how much better the meat tastes - much more succulent and juicy with a rich chicken flavour. (Mass produced chicken could be dry and tasteless.)

Homecooked roast chicken beats Kenny Roger's anyday.

Roast chicken

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

1 free range chicken (approx. 2 kg)

1 onion, peeled and halved

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Olive oil

50g butter, softened at room temperature

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1.Preheat oven to 190°C.

2. Rinse the chicken, and dry it well with a kitchen towel.

3. Push the onion and garlic inside the chicken's cavity.

4. Place chicken in a roasting tray, then rub olive oil, salt and pepper all over.

5. Smear the butter over the top of the chicken, to give it a nice crispy skin.

6. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes per 500g plus an extra 10-20 minutes.

7. Baste at least twice during cooking to keep the chicken moist.

8. Remove the chicken from the oven, and leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

9. Serve with mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables and gravy.

Use any leftover chicken and bones to make a delicious chicken & vegetable soup for the following day. Nothing goes to waste! :-)