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simple roast chicken and garlic gravy
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MEAT & POULTRY

Simple Roast Chicken and Garlic Gravy

By Stephen La Rosa

A whole chicken dry-brined overnight, stuffed with onion, thyme and lemon, roasted until the skin crackles, served with a roasted garlic gravy built from the drippings. One of those dishes that gets better the simpler you keep it.

Simple Roast Chicken and Garlic Gravy
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Prep 25 minutes
Cook 1 hour 10 minutes
Total 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 4
Difficulty
Ingredients

Roast Chicken

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1 onion
  • 1 lemon
  • 7-8 sprigs thyme
  • salt to taste
  • chicken fat, olive oil or butter as needed

Gravy

  • 200 ml chicken stock
  • 30 g flour
  • 1 head roasted garlic
Instructions
  • Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, inside and out, and set it on a tray with a wire rack on the bottom shelf of your fridge. Chill uncovered overnight.
  • When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220°C and bring the chicken out to temper. Tuck the wing tips underneath the carcass so they don't burn.
  • Stuff the cavity with the onion, lemon and thyme. Rub the skin with chicken fat, olive oil or butter.
  • Set the chicken on an oven-safe pan or dish and place in the centre of the oven.
  • Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the thickest part of the leg reads 70°C, or the juices run clear when pierced.
  • Rest 20 minutes while you pull the rest of the meal together. Don't worry about it cooling, it keeps cooking gently and stays hot inside for longer than you'd expect.
  • Remove the onion, lemon and thyme from the cavity and set aside. Lift the chicken with tongs and let the cavity juices drain into the roasting dish.
  • Skim most of the fat off the top of the roasting juices, either with a gravy separator or by pouring into a measuring jug and pouring off the excess.
  • Add 200ml of chicken stock to the roasting dish and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.
  • In a separate pot, cook 2 tablespoons of chicken fat with 2 tablespoons of flour over medium heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes to make a roux.
  • Add the chicken stock from the roasting dish, deglazing any remaining fond. Pour it into the roux pot.
  • Add the reserved onion, lemon and thyme along with 2 tablespoons of roasted garlic (or a full head). Keep adding stock until you reach a good consistency.
  • Simmer 10 minutes over medium-low heat, then strain to remove solids. Blend briefly with an immersion blender for a smoother finish.
  • To carve, slice down the middle of the breasts along the keel bone, following the cartilage to gently free each breast. Set aside.
  • Press down on the legs to separate them from the carcass, then cut through the joint connecting each leg to the body.
  • Cut between the drumstick and thigh bones to separate them, and remove the wings the same way.
  • Break the carcass down into smaller pieces and save for stock.
  • Slice the reserved breasts and arrange all the parts on a warm plate or serving dish with the gravy on the side.
Equipment
  • Chef's Knife
  • Chopping board
  • Baking Dish
  • Pot
  • Sieve
  • Tongs
  • Measuring cylinder
Recipe Notes
The overnight uncovered chill is what dries the skin out enough to crisp properly, don't skip it if you can plan ahead for it, though the chicken can still go straight in the oven if you're short on time. Use the best quality bird you can find, since the recipe is this simple, the chicken itself is doing most of the work.
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From the Chef

We tried every trick in the book on this one, beer cans, brining, high-low heat combinations, before landing back on simplicity. The overnight dry chill in the fridge is what actually earns its keep, it dries the skin out properly so it crisps in the oven instead of steaming. Filling the cavity with aromatics does double duty too, it slows down the breast from overcooking while it perfumes the meat, and those same aromatics go straight into the gravy after. Buy the best chicken you can find, a recipe this stripped-back has nowhere to hide.

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