Sometimes chicken is simply unbeatable: crispy skin and crumbly meat, with a variety of garnishes, fresh salad, but it can also work fantastically in a pasta soup. When prepared well, it's a perfect and versatile base. This is typically a dish that everyone has their own way of making, but who better to give you a recipe for the perfect roast bird than a Michelin-starred chef?
Lisa Goodwin-Allen a Michelin star Head chef at Northcote restaurant in Lancashire, England, as well as The Stafford London restaurant, and a regular on British television, in shows such as Great British Menu. He will be a mentor for UK chef Marcus Clayton at the upcoming S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2022-23 Grand Final.
It all starts with the raw material
Everyone from housewives to fine dining chefs knows that good food is only good with good ingredients can be made. So using good quality chicken is key - go to your local butcher (or order from your favourite supplier...), and choose either kept you free, or corn-fed chicken. Always remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to warm to room temperature.
Lisa prefers this low-temperature method because it ensures a more even cooking and keeps the meat moist and crumbly. Chicken roasted in this way has much more flavour and is best served in the traditional way, with a classic roast and a garnish - simply unbeatable. It's worth roasting it on the side potatoes, cauliflower with cheese and other seasonal vegetables choose to add. Use the fat from the chicken to baste the potatoes. Alternatively, in summer, simply serve with a delicious stir-fry - or with cabbage salad.
Tips and suggestions for use
It's always a good idea to choose a chicken a little bigger than you need, because you can use the leftovers to make a great chicken sandwich or a delicious Caesar salad.
It's worth using the whole bird in a zero-waste way. To make a delicious stock, cover the chicken skeleton with water, add a chicken stock cube (if available) and some soft herbs and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Strain and you're done with the stock. This can then be made into a delicious chicken ramen. Further flavour the broth with soy sauce, chilli, ginger and lemongrass. Add raw vegetables such as carrots, spring onions, some leftover chicken and noodles and you are ready to serve.
Ingredients for Lisa's roast chicken:
The following stuffing recipe can be used as a sample - you can add any flavour you like to the stuffing, such as piri-piri, garlic, herbs, etc.
- 1 whole chicken
- 100 g chopped onion
- 140 g sausage meat
- 100 g finely chopped smoked bacon
- 100 g pretzel
- 100 g melted butter
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
- 2 pinches of salt
- olive oil
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 120°C.
- Remove the sternum from the chicken by making a small cut on each side, scrape it out slightly to expose it, then twist and remove.
- Gently loosen the skin on the breast and legs of the chicken by placing your hand under the skin and smoothing it with your thumb.
- Place the chopped onion in a small pan, add a little olive oil and cook over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until softened. Remove and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sausage meat, chopped bacon, pretzel, melted butter, chopped garlic, thyme, salt and mix well.
- Divide the mixture in two. Fill one half into the cavity of the chicken and the other half into a piping bag, or gently stuff it under the skin with your hand, guiding it by hand to cover the breast and legs evenly, taking care not to tear the skin.
- Place on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. When ready, remove from the oven. Leave the chicken to rest for 15 minutes, while you turn the oven up to 200 degrees.
- Put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Take it out, slice and serve!
Enjoy your meal!
