Roast chicken with tarragon butter and melting onions
A roast chicken seems to me to be the ultimate comfort meal for all the family. And it’s so versatile: serve as a classic Sunday dinner with roast potatoes, or with a selection of salads or side dishes.
Ingredients
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú butter, softened
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 heaped tsp finely grated fresh root ginger
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
- ½ lemon, grated zest only
- 1 free-range oven-ready chicken, about 1.8–2kg/4–4lb 8oz
- 2 large onions, very thickly sliced
- 1–2 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the gravy
- 45²µ/1½´Ç³ú plain flour
- 100ml/3½fl oz dry white wine
- 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
- 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
- dash Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- dash gravy browning (optional)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Mix the butter, garlic, ginger, tarragon and lemon zest in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.
Loosen the skin of the chicken breast by gently pushing your fingers between the skin and the meat, taking care not to break the skin. Using your hand, spread the butter under the skin in an even layer.
Transfer the chicken to a roasting tin and scatter the onions around it. Rub a little oil over the skin and legs, and season.
Roast for about 1½ hours, or until the chicken is cooked. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the leg, between the drumstick and the thigh, is pierced with a skewer. Transfer to a board to rest. Remove the onions to a hot serving bowl.
To make the gravy, sprinkle the flour over the fat in the roasting tin and whisk until combined. Pour in the wine and stock and whisk over a medium heat until thickened and smooth. Whisk in the redcurrant jelly, Worcestershire sauce and gravy browning, if using. Pour through a sieve into a jug, stir in the tarragon and season with salt and pepper.
Carve the chicken and serve with the onions and gravy.
Recipe Tips
Use our roast calculator to get chicken cooking times for the weight of your chicken.