How to Cook the Perfect Roast Chicken

The Next in Our How to Cook Series

The British have been famous for Sunday roast dinners for centuries, and despite its long history, the dish is just as popular today as it has ever been. The tradition began way back in the 15^th century with King Henry VII and his roast beef, but the humble roast chicken has seen a rise in popularity in recent times. At Soil and Sea, as like much of the country, we’re partial to a brimming plate-full of roast, so we’re introducing our next How to Cook instalment...

Why Plump for Organic Chicken?

All of our organic chicken is provided by our friend Ross, whose family run farm has been rearing free range organic chickens to the highest of animal welfare standards for over 40 years. Their Soil Association certification ensures all organic poultry from their Devon farm is up there with the best in the country.

The organic free range chickens are reared in small flocks with wide fields to roam and forage. Alongside finding their own tasty treats whilst exploring their surroundings, the birds are fed a 100% organic mixture. Their peaceful and happy lives avoid the need for routine antibiotics, and at night the chickens are tucked away in spacious shelters.

Their slow grown nature and organic diet produces large, succulent and meaty organic chicken that is perfect for your next Sunday roast.

The Perfect Organic Roast Chicken Recipe

For many, a Sunday roast is the best way to end the weekend. And the key to an unbeatable roast dinner? The centrepiece. We’ve tried and tested the best roast chicken recipe for a simple but effective (and of course tasty) Sunday roast. Made even better using our organic chickens for a succulent, tasty and tender centrepiece with all the trimmings. Here’s how to cook roast chicken the Soil and Sea way.

You’ll need:

• 1 Organic Chicken (1.6-1.8kg)
• 1 bunch of Fresh, Organic Thyme
• 1 Organic Lemon
• 2 bulbs of Organic Garlic
• Cornish Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• 50g Soil and Sea Organic Butter

Method:

1. Take the organic chicken out of the fridge, remove the giblets from inside the bird (but keep these to make a mouth-watering gravy) and wash the bird inside and out under cold water. Pat completely dry and set aside on a rack and let come to room temperature (for around 30 minutes).

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Meanwhile stuff the chicken with the organic lemon, thyme and two bulbs of garlic, reserving two cloves and two sprigs of thyme.

3. Heat the organic butter on a medium to high heat in a large cast iron frying pan (large enough to hold the chicken). Add the 2 reserved organic thyme sprigs, cloves of crushed organic garlic and the bird to the pan to brown it evenly in the butter (2-3 minutes on each side). We suggest using your eyes and nose as judgement.

TOP TIP: try to colour all faces golden as this will seal in moisture and aid the skin in turning crispy whilst roasting.

4. Transfer the chicken to a baking tray and pour over the melted butter. Season generously with salt and pepper, then roast the bird for 75 Be sure to check the bird and baste at 40 minutes and again at 60 minutes.

4. At 60 minutes, crank your oven up to 190°C for the final 15 minutes of cooking.

4. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest somewhere warm for 15 minutes.

4. Your organic roast chicken is ready to serve!