PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Roasting a chicken with juicy meat and crisp golden skin is a great skill to crack – here’s how to do it

Salt the skin before cooking. This helps extract moisture and dry out the skin so it gets lovely and crisp. You can season your skin 1 12 hrs prior to cooking, and remember to season inside the cavity as well.

● Pack in the lavour

Try chopping some thyme, lemon or sage, mixing it into softened butter with crushed garlic then stuffing under the breast skin. Stu any remaining fresh herbs into the cavity with half a lemon or onion (this creates steam that helps to keep the chicken moist).

● Choose the right tin

Choose one deep enough to collect all the delicious cooking juices and make sure there’s enough space so the heat can circulate freely around the bird while roasting.

● Check it’s cooked through

Pierce the thickest part of the bird (between the leg and the breast) and check that the juices run clear – there should be no blood or pink tinge – if there is, then return to the oven for another 15 minutes before testing again. Alternatively, use a meat thermometer. It should read 75C when the meat is cooked through.

● Give it a rest

Once cooked cover the chicken loosely with foil and leave the meat to rest for at least 15 20 minutes. This allows the juices to settle back in to the meat and gives you a little time to prepare anything else you’re serving alongside your roast.

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Check out our ‘how to’ video and roasting method at: bbcgoodfood. com/videos/techniques/how-roastchicken-video