The Best Roast Chicken And Gravy Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Have a shelf ready in the middle of the oven without any shelves above it.
• Scatter 1 roughly chopped onion and 2 roughly chopped carrots over the base of a roasting tin that fits the whole 1 ½ kg chicken, but doesn't swamp it.
• Season the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, then stuff with 2 lemon halves and a small bunch of thyme, if using.
• Sit the chicken on the vegetables, smother the breast and legs all over with 25g softened butter, then season the outside with salt and pepper.
• Place in the oven and leave, undisturbed, for 1 hr 20 mins - this will give you a perfectly roasted chicken. To check, pierce the thigh with a skewer and the juices should run clear.
• Carefully remove the tin from the oven and, using a pair of tongs, lift the chicken to a dish or board to rest for 15-20 mins. As you lift the dish, let any juices from the chicken pour out of the cavity into the roasting tin.
• While the chicken is resting, make the gravy. Place the roasting tin over a low flame, then stir in 1 tbsp flour and sizzle until you have a light brown, sandy paste.
• Gradually pour in 250ml chicken stock, stirring all the time, until you have a thickened sauce.
• Simmer for 2 mins, using a wooden spoon to stir, scraping any sticky bits from the tin.
• Strain the gravy into a small saucepan, then simmer and season to taste. When you carve the bird, add any extra juices to the gravy.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
• Lay onion slices down the center of a large cast iron skillet to create 2 rows that are touching.
• Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper, add lemon slices, thyme, rosemary, sage and garlic cloves.
• Using your hands, gently separate the skin from the meat of the breast. Evenly spread the Herb Butter on the meat underneath the skin. Take the remaining butter and gently rub the skin. Wash hands and season the skin with salt and pepper. Tie drumsticks together using twine. Place the chicken on the onion slices.
• Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the thighs have reached 165 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the oven. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest.
• Spoon off as much fat from the pan as possible. Place the pan over high heat and add white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add chicken broth and let reduce to about half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Strain out the onions. Add the gravy back to the pan and keep warm.
• Cut the twine from the drumsticks and carve. Pour the gravy into a serving bowl and serve with the chicken.
• In a small bowl, add the butter, chopped thyme, rosemary, and sage. Season with salt and pepper and mix together with a wooden spoon. Reserve.

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in lower third of oven with no racks above it; preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place potatoes, carrots, thyme and rosemary in a 12-inch cast iron or other oven-safe deep skillet. Season with salt and pepper and pour in 1 cup of stock. Rub skin of chicken with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place chicken breast-side-up on top of vegetables.
• Roast chicken, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes, about 60 to 75 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Transfer chicken to a platter, draining juices from the cavity of the chicken into the pan. Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables and arrange around chicken on the serving platter.
• Bring pan drippings to a simmer over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of stock and whisk until smooth. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. If too thick, whisk in additional stock 2 Tbsp. at a time until desired consistency is reached. Add cream, if desired, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables and gravy.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon, herbs, and half of the carrots, onions, and celery. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and fold the wing tips under the back. Place the remaining carrots, onion, and celery in the center of a roasting pan just large enough to accommodate the chicken. Brush the entire chicken with the butter; season with salt and pepper. Set the bird breast-side up on top of the vegetables.
• Roast the chicken for 45 minutes. Then increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F., cooking until an instant-read thermometer stuck into the chicken thigh registers 160 degrees F., about 15 minutes more. Tip the chicken so the juices run into the pan. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and loosely tent with foil while making the gravy.
• Discard the vegetables and pour the fat and juices in the pan into a small bowl. Transfer about 2 tablespoons of the fat back into the pan, skim and discard the rest. Add the roasting juices to the broth. Place the pan directly on the burner over medium-high heat. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the broth and continue to stir. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour the sauce into a gravy boat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Carve the chicken and serve with gravy.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and fold the wing tips under the back. Place the onion, celery, neck, and heart in the center of a roasting pan just large enough to accommodate the chicken. (Discard the liver or reserve for other recipes.) Brush the entire chicken with the butter; season with salt and pepper. Set the bird breast-side up on top of the vegetables.
• Roast the chicken for 45 minutes. Then increase the temperature to 425 degrees F., cooking until an instant-read thermometer stuck into the chicken thigh registers 160 degrees F., about 15 minutes more. Tip the chicken so the juices run into the pan. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and loosely tent with foil while making the gravy.
• Pour the fat and juices in the pan to a degreasing cup or small bowl. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of the fat, discard the rest, and add the roasting juices to the broth. Place the pan directly on the burner over medium-high heat and add the reserved fat. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the broth and continue to stir. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Strain the sauce into a gravy boat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard the vegetables and giblets.
• Carve the chicken and serve with gravy.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a small bowl, mash the butter with one-third of the thyme leaves, the mashed garlic and the juice of half a lemon. Mix everything together with some seasoning and set aside.
• Use your hand to loosen the chicken skin away from the breast, then push most of the butter mix into the gap. Rub the rest of the butter all over the outside of the chicken, then stuff the cavity with the lemon halves, remaining thyme leaves and stalks, and the garlic.
• Scatter the chopped carrot, onion and bay leaves over the base of a small roasting tin. Sit the chicken on top, breast-side up, and roast on the middle shelf for 1 hr 30 mins, basting with the buttery juices after about 40 mins. When the chicken is dark golden, crispy-skinned and the juices run clear, remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 mins. Use a pair of tongs to pull the lemons, garlic and thyme out of the cavity and into the tin. Lift the chicken up, letting any juices dribble into the tin, and transfer the chicken to a serving platter to rest for at least another 15 mins.
• To make the gravy, squeeze the juice out of the cooked lemon halves and discard the skins. Place the tin on a low heat, stir in flour and sizzle until light brown. Gradually pour in the stock and cook for a few mins. If you like a darker gravy, add a splash of soy sauce to the tin. Strain the gravy into a jug and serve with the chicken.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Slather the bird with butter, season the cavity and sprinkle the skin *all over* with generous amounts of salt. This will help the skin crisp.
• Place the bird on a rack over a roasting tin. If you have a V-shaped rack, this is the best, as it raises the chicken even higher. This will allow the entire bird to cook evenly and the skin to crisp all over.
• Place the bird in the hot oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375F for the rest of the cooking time (this initial blast of heat helps the skin crisp with less splatter).
• Depending on the size of the chicken, and the oven, the remaining cooking time will probably be between 40 and 60 minutes. Check regularly using the methods above.
• Once fully cooked, remove from the oven. Drain the cavity into the roasting pan, then put the chicken to one side, propped with its backside up, in a warm place for 10-15 minutes. This resting allows the juices to resettle - propping allows the juice to flow into the breast - and is the most important part of the process.
• Meanwhile, place the roasting tin on a medium heat on the hob and add half the white wine to deglaze the pan. Make sure you scrape in all the lovely caremelised bits which have stuck to the pan during the roasting.
• Once the pan has been deglazed, add half the stock and reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Taste and add the remainder of the wine and stock, or a little more of one than the other if you prefer (wine adds depth and stock adds body) then reduce again.
• Taste the gravy and season as required.

Steps:

• Pour fat from drippings into a bowl and reserve. Whisk flour into remaining drippings left in pan; mixture will seem dry. Add 2 tablespoons reserved fat, or as needed, to the drippings mixture to combine with flour.
• Place pan of drippings mixture over low heat and toast flour until light brown and mixture gives off a nutty fragrance, about 5 minutes.
• Drizzle about 1/3 cup cold chicken stock at a time into pan drippings, whisking each addition of stock into mixture until thoroughly combined. Continue whisking, scraping any browned pan drippings from the bottom of the pan into gravy; bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until gravy is thick and flour has combined with the liquid, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Adjust thickness of gravy; if too thick, whisk in a little more stock. If gravy is too thin, continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until reduced and thickened, about 10 more minutes. For the smoothest texture, strain gravy before serving.

Steps:

• For roast chicken:
• Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
• Pull off excess fat around cavities of chickens and discard, then rinse chickens and pat dry. Melt 4 tablespoons butter with garlic and brush butter all over chickens. Season both chickens inside and out with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper (total). Put half of garlic and 1 lemon half in each cavity and loosely tie legs together with string.
• Roast chickens in a large (17-by 11-inch) flameproof roasting pan, basting with pan juices using a spoon (remove pan from oven and tilt if necessary) every 20 minutes, rotating pan, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh of each chicken (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, 50 to 60 minutes total. Baste chickens once more, then carefully tilt them so juices from cavities run into roasting pan. Transfer chickens to a cutting board (reserve pan) and let rest 15 minutes before carving.
• Make gravy while chickens rest:
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan, then cook remaining drippings over medium-high heat until deep golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in water and simmer, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons butter and lemon juice to taste (from remaining lemon halves). Season with salt and pepper. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a gravy boat.