With Easter Sunday rapidly approaching, many of us are looking for a tasty centrepiece for our Sunday roast. But although a roasted chicken makes for a gorgeous meat on a special occasion, it is a dish for all seasons and is incredibly versatile.

Tips for roasting a chicken

Chicken doesn’t need to be boring, in fact, there are plenty of ways you can boost up its flavour.

Classic flavour combinations for a roast chicken include lemon and thyme, or garlic and fresh herbs.

But you can also make a spicier marinade for your roast chicken for a twist on a classic, using chilli and paprika.

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When roasting your chicken, it’s a good idea to have plenty of herbs, garlic or lemons to line the bottom of your roasting tin.

The chicken will sit on these, which will help it to absorb all those lovely flavours.

Once the chicken is cooked, it’s important to let it sit and rest so the meat is juicy when served.

You can also use any juices left in the pan to make a delicious gravy from scratch, if you have time.

How to roast a chicken

For our roast chicken recipe you will need:

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (free-range and organic is best)
• Fresh thyme
• 2 lemons
• 2 onions
• 1 bulb of garlic
• Olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt

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• Preheat your oven to the temperature listed on your chicken (there are also plenty of roasting calculators online).
• Chop the lemons into quarters and scatter them over the bottom of your roasting tin.
• Slice the onions into quarters and add these to the tin as well.
• Cut the bulb of garlic in half lengthways, sprinkling half the garlic gloves over the onions and lemons in the tin.
• Along with the fresh thyme, add half the garlic bulb to the chicken cavity, and tie the legs together with string.

• Place the chicken on top of the fruit and vegetable mixture, and rub 1tbsp of olive oil over the whole chicken.
• Sprinkle fresh sea salt and cracked black pepper over the top, this will give the chicken crispy skin.
• Roast the chicken as per the timings on the chicken’s packaging.
• To check the chicken is cooked through, there should be no pink meat showing. Use a meat thermometer or pierce the thigh with a skewer. The juices should run clear.
• Once your chicken is cooked, let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.

What to pair with roast chicken?

For a delicious roast chicken dinner, you cannot go wrong with roast potatoes.

However, for a simpler dinner, you can always pair the chicken with mash or boiled potatoes.

For a summery twist, try pairing your roast chicken with a fresh salad or spicy rice.

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