Mother's Day Recipe

Prep 10 minutes

Cook 1 hour 30 Minutes

Serve 4

A classic roast chicken recipe should be in everyone's repertoire. Make this oven baked chicken with all the trimmings, gravy, and why not add our new Smoked Garlic Aioli for a satisfying twist on your Sunday lunch.Prep 10 minutes

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 free range chicken, about 1.5kg/3lb 5oz

1 lemon, halved

small bunch thyme (optional)

LEON Olive Oil

LEON Smoked Garlic Aioli 

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Have a shelf ready in the middle of the oven without any shelves above it.

Scatter 1 roughly chopped onion and 2 roughly chopped carrots over the base of a roasting tin that fits the whole 1 ½ kg chicken, but make sure not to swamp it.

Season the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, then stuff with 2 lemon halves and a small bunch of thyme (if you fancy it)

Sit the chicken on the veggies, smother the breast and legs all over with olive oil, then season the outside with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven and leave, undisturbed, for 1 hr 20 mins – this will give you a perfectly roasted chicken. To check, pierce the thigh with a skewer and the juices should run clear.

Carefully remove the tin from the oven and, using a pair of tongs, lift the chicken to a dish or board to rest for 15-20 mins. As you lift the dish, let any juices from the chicken pour out of the cavity into the roasting tin. Never dispose of the juices, it’s great for making the gravy!

We serve our roast chicken alongside roast veggies lathered with garlic and olive oil, fresh greens, roast potatoes and a side of our new Smoked Garlic Aioli.