Garlic Lemon Roast Chicken Recipe

Preheat the oven to 220°C (Gas Mark 7) and sit the chicken in a large roasting tin. Put the butter, lemon zest and garlic into a mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon to beat it all together until well combined, then season to your liking with salt and pepper and mix again. Carefully lift the chicken skin away from the breast meat, separating them but being careful not to break the skin; now use your fingers to smear the lemon and butter mixture all over the chicken breast, under the skin. Push the slices of lemon under the skin, too. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, including inside the cavity.

Next, wash your hands, then put the prepared veg into a mixing bowl and add the olive oil, thyme sprigs and salt and pepper to taste, then gently toss it all together. Tip the vegetables into the roasting tin with the chicken so that they form an even layer, then put the tin into the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Take the tin out of the oven and give the veg a gentle stir, then reduce the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5) and roast for a further hour, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp and golden (you can test it by protecting your hand with a cloth and then giving one of the legs a gentle pull; if the leg comes away from the body easily, there is no sign of pink in the meat and the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked). When the chicken is ready, transfer it to a serving dish, letting any juices from the cavity run back into the roasting tin, then cover it loosely with foil and leave to rest. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to lift the cooked veg into a separate dish, cover them with foil and then put them back in the switched-off oven to keep warm.

While the chicken rests, make the gravy. Take the original roasting tin and sit it on the hob over a low flame. Carefully sieve in the flour, then stir well until it has combined with the juices from the chicken and veg. Next, pour in the hot chicken stock a little at a time, stirring all the time, until the sauce has thickened. Let it bubble away for a couple of minutes, still stirring, then use the sieve to strain the gravy into a clean saucepan. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then bring it up to a simmer for a further couple of minutes (stirring) so that it is piping hot, then pour it carefully into a jug to serve. Take the chicken on its serving dish to the table, ready to carve, along with the dish of warm veg and the gravy.