A simple, comforting roast perfect for a relaxed Mother’s Day lunch.
A beautifully roasted whole chicken is one of the most satisfying family meals you can cook. Slow roasting allows the chicken to stay tender and juicy while the potatoes soak up all the flavour from the roasting juices, garlic and herbs.
This one-tray roast is incredibly easy to prepare and makes a wonderful centrepiece for a Mother’s Day Sunday dinner.
Serves: 4–6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: Approx. 2 hour 20 minutes plus resting
Ingredients
- 1 whole Hugh Maguire Butchers Irish chicken (approx. 1.6kg)
- 1kg roasting potatoes, halved or quartered
- 2 whole garlic bulbs, halved
- 100ml white wine
- 100ml chicken stock
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- Butter, for greasing
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Prepare the oven
Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Lightly grease a large roasting tray with butter.
Rub a little butter over the skin of the chicken and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Assemble the tray
Place the chicken in the centre of the roasting tray. Arrange the potatoes around the bird along with the halved garlic bulbs.
Pour in the white wine and chicken stock to create moisture and flavour as the chicken cooks.
Cover the tray loosely with foil.
3. Slow roast
Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour.
Remove the foil, gently toss the potatoes in the roasting juices, then add the rosemary, bay leaves and lemon wedges.
Return the tray to the oven uncovered and continue cooking for another 50 minutes.
4. Crisp the skin
Increase the oven temperature to 220°C (200°C fan) and cook for a further 30 minutes to crisp the chicken skin and give the potatoes a golden finish.
5. Rest and serve
Remove the chicken from the tray and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.
Serve with the roasted potatoes, garlic and pan juices spooned over the top.
Hugh Maguire Butchers Tip
Choose a quality, Irish free-range chicken for the best flavour. Slow roasting allows the natural juices to develop, giving you beautifully tender meat and rich roasting juices for serving.
