Recipe video above. This is a fantastic, easy way to make "roast chicken" for loads of people without the fuss of man handling a whole chicken! Quick to prepare, no advance marinating or brining, the idea here is high temp cooking which really seals in the juices, creating crispy skin and meat that's so juicy, it's ideal for reheating to serve (which is what we did for a 40 guest Christmas lunch last weekend). Bonus mess-free way of making gravy with outrageously delicious flavour.
1tbspvegetable oil(or canola or peanut oil, NOT butter or olive oil, Note 1)
Choose ONE chicken (Note 2):
1.8 kg / 3.6 lbwhole chicken, butterflied / spatchcocked
1.8 kg / 3.6 lblarge chicken thighs with bone in, skin on AND drumsticks (mix)
Herb rub (Note 3):
1tspdried oregano
1tspdried rosemary
1tspdried thyme
1tspdried sage(or 1/2 tsp ground sage)
3/4tspdried marjoram
1tspsalt(coarse / kosher salt, OR 1 3/4 tsp sea salt flakes)
1/2tspblack pepper
Gravy
3tbspflour
1 1/2 cups (375ml)chicken stock/broth, low sodium
3/4tspdark soy sauce or gravy browner liquid
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Fridge dry skin (optional, for extra crispy skin):
Pat chicken skin dry with paper towels. Leave chicken in fridge overnight, uncovered, to dry skin out.
Cooking:
Preheat oven to 240°C/ 465°F (220°C fan).
Line tray with foil then baking / parchment paper, place rack on tray (Note 4)
Mix Rub in a bowl.
Pat chicken skin dry with paper towel.
Drizzle with oil and rub all over, then sprinkle with Rub. Use hands to rub herbs all over the chicken, getting right into all the cracks and crevices. Place on rack.
Thigh + drumsticks - Arrange thigh pieces skin side up, and for drumsticks the side with the most skin up.
Butterflied/spatchcocked - Arrange breast side up with tail end of chicken pointed back towards back of oven, neck end closest to door.
Roasting:
Thighs + drumsticks - roast for 35 minutes or until internal temperature is 75°C/165°F, or juices run clear when pierced in the middle.
Butterflied/spatchcocked - roast for 45 minutes, or until internal temperature is: 66°C / 151°F for the breast AND 75°C/165°F when inserted into the joint between the leg and the thigh.
Extra browning - if skin isn't browned/crispy enough, flick grill/broiler on high for 1 - 3 minutes. CAREFUL - browns super quick!
Tent VERY loosely with foil (to preserve crispy skin) for 5 minutes.
Gravy:
Scrape every bit of juice, fat and all the brown stuff off the tray into a saucepan.
Turn stove onto medium. Once juices are bubbling, add flour and whisk to combine.
Slowly pour in broth, whisking as you go.
Add soy sauce or gravy browner and pepper.
Continue stirring for 3 to 5 minutes - as it becomes steamy, gravy will thicken.
Once it becomes a syrupy consistency (see video), remove from stove. Adjust salt to taste right at end, then pour into jug.
Serving:
Carve up the chicken as you would a roast chicken. Cut breast into 3 or 4 pieces. Cut thighs in half along the bone.
Pile it all up onto a plate, garnish with parsley or other fresh herbs. Serve with gravy!
Notes
1. Oil - this recipe calls for high temperature cooking to achieve crispy skin. Olive oil smoke point too low for this recipe, and butter will burn + water content in butter will prevent crispy skin from forming.2. Chicken - use thigh and drumsticks for an easy option. Use butterflied/spatchcock if you want some breast meat as well the dark meat (thighs, drumsticks etc). Either cut your own (cut down either side of chicken spine, open up and crack bone to flatten) or buy already butterflied.3. Herbs - this combo of herbs gives this chicken a really terrific herb flavour reminiscent of rotisserie chicken. But feel free to switch out the herbs. I do not recommend adding fresh garlic as it burns. Also, do not add powdered spices as this too will affect the skin crispiness.4. Tray - rack required to ensure pan juices brown and keep chicken out of fat. If you don't have one, that's ok - it will still work just fine, underside of chicken just a bit oilier!Foil and parchment/baking paper essential here - need to be able to scrap every bit of juice off the paper into the saucepan to make the gravy! Bonus: less cleaning up.5. Storing / reheating - keep skin loosely covered and cool. Place in container and refrigerate overnight (up to 3 days, but 24 hrs best). On day of, place in a tray in single layer and loosely cover with foil. Place in 180°C/350°F oven for 15 minutes until warmed through (not piping hot), then uncovered for 5 minutes. This works great for serving loads of people - really juicy chicken, even the breast! Won't be crispy like fresh made but no one complains because the herb flavour is so great plus you've got the gravy. Reheat gravy on stove or microwave.