This is a delicious way to make a great British favourite - wrapped and roasted in greaseproof paper to trap all the wonderful juices, keeping the chicken moist and full of flavour. Fantastic!
Serves 4 or 6
- 1 medium or large Red Tractor chicken
- 1 lemon, halved
- 12 garlic cloves
- 4 rosemary sprigs
- 40g/1 1/2oz Red Tractor Country Life English butter, softened
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetables:
- 1-1.5kg/2lb 4oz-3lb 5oz Red tractor potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 150ml/1/4 pint vegetable oil
- 500g-750g/1lb 2oz-1lb 11oz Red Tractor carrots, sliced
- 1 small Red Tractor Savoy cabbage, shredded
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Calculate the cooking time for the size of chicken that you have bought. It will require 20 minutes per 450g/1lb, plus a further 20 minutes, so a 1.8kg/4lb bird will take 1 hour 40 minutes to roast.
Take a very large sheet of greaseproof paper, big enough to wrap around the chicken, with plenty of extra room for folding it over. Put the chicken onto the middle of the paper, then push half the lemon, a few garlic cloves and 2 sprigs of rosemary into the body cavity of the bird to give it a lovely flavour as it cooks.
Rub the butter all over the chicken with your hands, then season with salt and pepper. Slice the remaining lemon and place on top of the chicken with the remaining rosemary sprigs. Scatter the rest of the garlic around the bird, then wrap with the greaseproof paper, folding it to make a loose parcel. Lift into a baking dish or roasting tin. Roast the chicken for the calculated time, peeling back the paper for the final 30 minutes so that the chicken browns.
Twenty minutes before the end of cooking time, put the carrots on to cook. Fifteen minutes later, put the cabbage on to cook in a small amount of lightly salted boiling water.
Check that the chicken is thoroughly cooked by piercing the thickest part of the thigh with a sharp knife or skewer. If the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked. If the juices are still slightly pink, roast for another 10 minutes or until done. Leave to rest for 5-10 minutes, then carve and serve with the garlic, roast potatoes, carrots and cabbage.
Cook’s tip: Roast garlic has a much sweeter, milder flavour than you might imagine, though you could use about 8 Red Tractor shallots instead, if you prefer. Serve with extra Red Tractor vegetables – such as parsnips, cauliflower and broccoli, if you like.