Everyone who wants crisp skin makes the same mistake: washing the chicken and putting it in the oven wet. The skin cooks while the water evaporates and never browns. Dry the chicken thoroughly with kitchen paper, and if you can, leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight.
Ingredients
For the chicken
For the tin
Method
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Dry it
Dry the chicken thoroughly inside and out with kitchen paper. This step decides all of the crispness.
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Season
Mix the butter with the spices and work it under and over the skin.
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Stuff it
Put the lemon and garlic in the cavity and tie the legs with string.
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Build the tray
Toss the potato and carrot with olive oil, spread them in the tray and sit the chicken on top.
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Roast
Roast at 190 degrees for 70 minutes. Halfway through, baste the chicken with the liquid in the tray.
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Brown
Raise the temperature to 220 degrees and roast for 15 minutes more.
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Rest
Take it out, cover with foil and leave for 15 minutes before carving.
Tips
- A wet chicken will not brown. The two minutes you spend drying it are half the result.
- Push a knife into the thickest part of the thigh; the juice should run clear, and if it is pink give it 10 more minutes.
- Do not carve before resting, or the juices run onto the board and the meat dries.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.