The word "easy" has different meanings. It largely depends on the person saying it. If Heston Blumenthal says it's easy, you might still need a blow torch, candy thermometer, syringe or some dry ice. When Anthony Bourdain says it's easy, you should read his recipe carefully and then read some more on the key techniques that he has mentioned. When Jamie Oliver says it's easy, it is likely that you are able to improvise his recipe. After all, that's his style.
When I say it's easy, it is easy. And I'll try to share as much details with you so that you are confident of pulling it off, even if your stove had not been lit for months, or in some extraordinary cases, since the day you moved in.
When I say it's easy, it is easy. And I'll try to share as much details with you so that you are confident of pulling it off, even if your stove had not been lit for months, or in some extraordinary cases, since the day you moved in.
This roast chicken is a sure-win and takes only a few minutes of active work. Along with the colourful vegetables, I'm bundling it up as a meal for you. If you have just an hour after breakfast at home on a weekend morning, this would be a perfect lunch. In that one hour, you will still have time to scroll through Facebook updates on your phone, post cute photos of your dog, crush candies, leaf through the papers, or even prepare a quick dessert!
And the beauty of this meal is that you can decide how you like your roast chicken: breasts, thighs, whole legs, whole chicken. If you are not familiar with herbs, make this your first "experiment". Just bring home a small mix of fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and smell it yourself to decide how much you like each of them. With your preferred proportion, you can then blend the herbs in butter.
And the beauty of this meal is that you can decide how you like your roast chicken: breasts, thighs, whole legs, whole chicken. If you are not familiar with herbs, make this your first "experiment". Just bring home a small mix of fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and smell it yourself to decide how much you like each of them. With your preferred proportion, you can then blend the herbs in butter.
How to do it? If you have a little blender, cut 25 grams of butter into small cubes, pick the leaves of the herbs (I used 4 sage leaves, 3 sprigs of thyme and 2 stalks of rosemary). Using short pulses, blend all the ingredients and transfer to a little saucer. You might not use up all the butter (depending on the amount of meat you use) but it can be stored cling-wrapped in the fridge for up to a week.
Preheat the oven at 180°. Trim off excess fat from the chicken, rinse and pat dry, and rub with some salt and pepper. I'm using boneless breasts but to prevent a bland outcome, I cut two slits on the sides at the thickest part of each breast and inserted bits of butter in them. Sliding your fingers gently under the skin, insert or rub butter in that little space between skin and meat.
All set? Pop the chicken in the oven and let it sit in there for 30 minutes; 45 if you're using whole legs. If you're using a whole chicken, you can calculate the duration by Julia Child's tip: a basic 45 minutes plus 7 minutes per pound (approx. 450 g). For instance, if your chicken weighs 1.8 kg, you'll need 45 + 7(4) = 73 minutes = 1 hr 13 min. Rest the meat before carving or slicing (breast). You may even want to leave the whole legs intact. They look prettier that way and are just the right portion for adults.
When the chicken is nearly done, peel three carrots, cut them into small chunks, heat some olive oil in a medium saucepan, add the carrots and a quarter cup of water, put the lid on and let it steam-cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, blanch a cup of frozen baby peas (I love Wattie's), lightly salted, drain and set aside. When the carrots have softened, add the baby peas, season with garlic powder, salt and some chopped parsley.
You can serve the chicken and vegetables separately, or if it's just the two of you, consider pouring the vegetables into the roasting dish to soak up all the meat-butter juice. No one's judging! What about carbs? If you really need carbs, some crusty but soft-inside bread to wipe the plate clean. Minimal washing, too.
Let's summarize: blitz some herbed butter, rub in the meat, roast, cook the vegetables, serve. Don't focus too much on any one part of the preparation. It can't go wrong, really. Do it a few weekends, experiment with different cuts, and I'm sure you'll soon have a new trademark meal at home.
All set? Pop the chicken in the oven and let it sit in there for 30 minutes; 45 if you're using whole legs. If you're using a whole chicken, you can calculate the duration by Julia Child's tip: a basic 45 minutes plus 7 minutes per pound (approx. 450 g). For instance, if your chicken weighs 1.8 kg, you'll need 45 + 7(4) = 73 minutes = 1 hr 13 min. Rest the meat before carving or slicing (breast). You may even want to leave the whole legs intact. They look prettier that way and are just the right portion for adults.
When the chicken is nearly done, peel three carrots, cut them into small chunks, heat some olive oil in a medium saucepan, add the carrots and a quarter cup of water, put the lid on and let it steam-cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, blanch a cup of frozen baby peas (I love Wattie's), lightly salted, drain and set aside. When the carrots have softened, add the baby peas, season with garlic powder, salt and some chopped parsley.
You can serve the chicken and vegetables separately, or if it's just the two of you, consider pouring the vegetables into the roasting dish to soak up all the meat-butter juice. No one's judging! What about carbs? If you really need carbs, some crusty but soft-inside bread to wipe the plate clean. Minimal washing, too.
Let's summarize: blitz some herbed butter, rub in the meat, roast, cook the vegetables, serve. Don't focus too much on any one part of the preparation. It can't go wrong, really. Do it a few weekends, experiment with different cuts, and I'm sure you'll soon have a new trademark meal at home.
