Roast chicken & root vegetables

I have to apologise again for leaving such a big gap between this post and the last one, but in my defence, I'm back in Singapore now and a new semester has begun. On top of that, one of my courses is intensive (meaning the whole semester's worth of material is actually taught in only 3 weeks), so I really haven't had that much free time in my hands lately.

But on the other hand, the recipe I'm going to share with you today is well worth the wait. I have to honestly say that this was my very first roast chicken and whilst it was in the oven 101 thoughts crossed my mind - what if it is not cooked through; what if it dries out; what if it doesn't taste good ... Fortunately, all my worries were pointless and the result was divine - imagine crispy skin and juicy meat with melt-in-your-mouth vegetables. And the best part was the fact that it just took me 1 hour 40 minutes to make it and the cooking time out of it was 1 hour 20.

This was the second roast I've ever made in my life (the first one was a traditional Sunday roast beed) and I can proudly said I aced it. Compared to the roast beef, the roast chicken is a lot less hassle free and time consuming - and because the chicken was small enough I could cook the chicken and vegetables in the same tray and the same time and thus making it even easier. Well, in conclusion, this makes a perfect hassle free Sunday roast and could easily be served at a dinner party. Also, if (we didn't have any leftovers) there is any chicken left over use it the next day in a salad or make yourself a nice chicken sandwich / wrap. I'd highly recommend trying this recipe out, even though making a roast might seem like a bit too big of a task, because firstly it is not and secondly, there is nothing better for a nice and cosy Sunday meal than a homemade juicy roast.

Ingredients
(Serves 4 OR 2 very hungry people)
- 1.3 kg chicken (head and feet removed)
- 400g swedes
- 500g parsnips
- 300g leeks
- 500g carrots
- 600g butternut squash
- Fresh sage
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- 1 lemon
- 2 red onions
- 5 cloves of garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- Chicken gravy

Directions
Take out the chicken from the fridge 2 hours before putting it in the oven to allow it to warm up to room temperature. When the two hours have passed, preheat the oven up to 170C fan (190C conventional oven). While the oven is warming up, prepare the vegetables. I used root vegetables because they are more suitable for roasting, but at the end of the day feel free to use whatever you like. Chop up the vegetables (apart from onions and garlic) and place them in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons (or so) of olive oil, some salt and pepper and mix well. Pour the vegetables in the baking tray, so that the bottom would be fully covered. Then prepare the onions by quartering both of them and placing on the tray together with whole cloves of garlic.

When the vegetables are ready, prepare the chicken. Firstly, pat it very dry both outside and inside. Then generously season the cavity with salt and pepper and fill with fresh herb springs and quartered lemon. Then season the downside of chicken with salt and pepper, turn it around and place on top of the vegetables. Pierce few holes by the thighs and push in few springs of herbs for added flavour. Finally, pour generous amount of olive oil over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.

When the oven has heated up, put the chicken in the oven and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes. There is no need to baste the chicken because if you keep it upside down (so that the chicken breasts are at the bottom) the juices coming from above will keep everything nice and moist. When the chicken is done, place it and the vegetables on a serving plate (or chopping board) and let the chicken stand for 10 minutes. While the chicken is standing, prepare the gravy according to the instructions. When 10 minutes have passed, carve up the chicken and enjoy!