Roast chicken is one of those meals that, while my parents never made it when I was a kid, has become a staple for me in adulthood. My mom didn’t cook very often when I was younger (she still doesn’t), and I think that the thought of roasting a chicken seemed like a daunting one to her. And honestly before I made roast chicken for the first time, it seemed like a daunting task to me as well – that is, before I actually tried it. And while my dad loves to cook and cooked all the time when I was a kid, he would never ever roast a chicken because of this weird thing he has about eating meat off the bone. And even though I can empathize with both of my parents’ reasoning for never making roast chicken, I have come to realize that it’s actually an incredibly easy and really quick and satisfying dinner – one that I now make all the time.
In case you hadn’t guessed already, I really don’t have any childhood memories or family stories related to this recipe. But after having made it for a few times, I can definitely say that I’m starting to feel that warm and fuzzy connection to this meal. I love it because of how easy it is to make; while the chicken itself takes a little while to cook, the prep is as easy as cutting up a few fresh veggies and herbs and throwing the chicken in the oven. Over this past long and snowy winter, roast chicken became one of those cozy, hearty meals that just warms you from the inside out. There’s nothing like coming inside after shoveling the seemingly never ending snow only to be meet with the savory smell of roast chicken and vegetables and a tall dark beer as a reward for your hard work. Roast chicken may seem like the kind of thing that is really only good as a hearty winter meal, but the addition of a few special twists like citrus and sweet jam make this recipe perfect for a warm day as well. That’s the great thing about roast chicken – it can just as easily translate from a middle of the winter staple to a summer favorite! I used bright lemon, orange, and thyme as a stuffing to lighten up this dish, and winter time veggies like squash and potatoes can be replaced by fresh springtime favorites straight from the farmers market like broccoli or fennel.
But my absolute favorite part of this roast chicken recipe is the gravy we made to top it, which is super savory with just a hint of sweet and sour thanks to a heaping spoonful of black currant preserves. The idea to add the preserves came to us completely on a whim after tasting the gravy, which would have been perfectly hearty and rich for a winter time meal, but just seemed to heavy for the warm weather outside. It needed that little something to brighten it up, and honestly black currant preserves just happened to be sitting in the fridge so we decided to try it. Making the gravy was as easy as making any gravy; we used the drippings from the roast chicken along with a rue (a flour and butter mixture used to thicken sauces) and a bit of chicken stock, and then the black currant jam. You could really use any jam you have on hand – apricot or peach sounds like it would be delicious – but the great thing about the black currant is that it’s not so sweet where it overpowers the savoriness of the gravy, so if you’re using a different jam just be careful how much you use and add it is smaller increments. I know it may sound kind of strange and unexpected, but honestly some kind of jam or preserves adds the perfect amount of sweetness and tang to the rich gravy.
So instead of cuddling up and watching the snow fall outside as I did with this meal not more than a few months ago, this time my roast chicken was enjoyed with the rays of the setting sun (at 8 pm!) and a warm breeze blowing in through open windows. The few little twists of citrus and black currant preserves in this recipe make it perfect for the all of those gorgeous spring and summer nights that we still have to look forward to!
- For the Roast Chicken:
- 1 4-5 lb whole chicken
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 orange, quartered
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
- 6 springs of fresh thyme (you can use any fresh herb you have on hand)
- 4 cups of vegetables of your choice (I used carrots, celery, and broccoli) for roasting, cut into large cubes
- Salt and pepper
- For the gravy:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon black currant jam
- For the roast chicken: Preheat the oven to 425°F
- Remove the giblets and neck from inside the chicken, rinse the chicken, and thoroughly pat dry. Spread softened butter on outside of chicken as well as underneath chicken skin - be gentle, as to not tear the skin. Butter on both sides allows the chicken skin to get nice and crispy in the oven. Liberally salt and pepper the outside of the chicken as well as inside the cavity.
- Stuff the chicken with the quartered lemon and orange, cloves of garlic, and thyme. Truss the chicken legs - check out this article on how to truss a chicken.
- Arrange your cubed vegetables of choice on a large baking dish, and place chicken on top.
- Bake chicken in the oven at 425°F for 20 minutes - this will allow the skin to get nice and crispy. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and cook chicken for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the juices run clear and a meat thermometer inserted in the inner thigh reaches 165°F.
- Remove the chicken and vegetables from the baking pan and place on a cutting board or serving tray. Allow the chicken to rest at least 15 minutes before carving. Reserve the drippings from the bottom of the pan for the gravy.
- For the black currant gravy: Make a rue in the bottom of a skillet by cooking together the flour and butter until the flour has browned slightly, 1-2 minutes. Add the drippings from the bottom of the roast chicken pan and whisk to completely dissolve the rue. Add the chicken stock and let it simmer until the gravy has thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the black currant jam and whisk well to combine. Top your carved chicken with the gravy and enjoy!
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