Roast Chicken Dinner

Recipe tags

• Family Favourite
• Dinner
• Slow Sundays

Ingredients

• 1 tsp General Purpose Seasoning
• 50 ml Semi Skimmed Milk
• 1 item Large Whole Chicken
• 1 kg White Potatoes
• 250 g Carrots
• 100 g Mange Touts
• 1 pack Sage and Onion Stuffing
• 2 item Chicken Stock Cube
• 3 tbsp Gravy Granules
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 pinch Pepper
• 5 sprays Spray Oil
• 25 g Butter

Method

1. Get the chicken roasting. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 5. Remove any packaging from the chicken and place it in a roasting tin. Season all over with the general purpose seasoning, salt and pepper, then lightly coat with the spray oil. Add some boiling water and tightly seal with foil. Roast according to the cooking time given for the weight of your chicken, which will usually be around 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours for a large chicken. Take the foil off for the last 30 mins and reserve the cooking juices/water in a pan.
2. Prepare the potatoes and stuffing. About an hour before the chicken is ready, peel the potatoes and divide them roughly in half. Cut one half into chunks for roasting and the other half into slightly smaller chunks for mash. Prepare the sage and onion stuffing according to the packet instructions and shape into stuffing balls or place in a small ovenproof dish.
3. Get the roast potatoes cooking. Put the roasting potatoes into a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for around 8 minutes. Drain well and gently shake them in the pan to rough up the edges. Transfer to a baking tray, spray lightly with oil and season with pepper. Roast for 45–50 minutes, turning halfway, until crisp and golden. Cook the stuffing alongside them for the time given on the packet.
4. Rest the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked through, transfer it to a board or warm plate, loosely cover and leave to rest.
5. Make the mash. Put the remaining potatoes into a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes until very tender. Then drain the potatoes for the mash and leave them to steam for a minute, then mash with the butter and milk until smooth. Season with a little salt and pepper.
6. Peel the carrots and slice them into pieces, then cook in a separate pan of boiling water for around 6–8 minutes, adding the mange tout for the final 3 minutes.
7. Make the gravy. Make up the chicken stock cubes with around 500 ml boiling water. Pour into the pan with the cooking juices from the chicken and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the gravy granules a little at a time until the gravy reaches your preferred thickness.
8. Serve. Carve the chicken and divide between four plates. Add a spoonful of mash, crispy roast potatoes, stuffing, carrots and mange tout, then finish with plenty of hot chicken gravy.

Notes

• A proper roast chicken dinner with juicy chicken, crispy roast potatoes, creamy mash, sage and onion stuffing, carrots, mange tout and plenty of rich gravy. It’s classic comfort food and a great choice when you want a traditional Sunday-style dinner without making anything too complicated.

Tips

• Check the chicken packaging for the cooking time based on its weight and use that as your main guide.
• Give the roast potatoes a good shake after parboiling. The rough edges help them turn crisp in the oven.
• Let the chicken rest before carving. It keeps the meat juicier and gives you time to finish the mash, vegetables and gravy.

Swaps and substitutes

• Whole Chicken: Use chicken portions if you want a quicker roast, adjusting the cooking time accordingly.
• General Purpose Seasoning: Use a simple mix of salt, pepper and dried herbs if you do not have any, but honestly, this should be a pantry staple in any kitchen!

Equipment and cleaning

• Soak the roasting tin in warm soapy water once it has cooled enough to handle. Any cooked-on juices will loosen much more easily before they dry completely.

No-waste tips

• Remaining vegetables: Add them to soup, bubble and squeak or a quick leftover roast dinner. You can also use as an accompaniment to another recipe in your meal plan in the week.