- 2½5kg avg whole chicken
- 1½ tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 60g honey
- 1½ lemon
- 6 garlic cloves
- A handful of flat leaf parsley
- 1½ tbsp thyme oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Large roasting tin
- 1.
Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 8. Remove the chicken from its wrapping and remove the giblets (save them for making homemade stock – see our tip). Pat the chicken dry and pop it into a roasting tin.
- 2.
Add 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard to a small bowl and drizzle in the honey. Finely slice the parsley stalks, setting the leaves to one side. Add the parsley stalks to the bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- 3.
Brush half the honey and mustard mixture all over the chicken. Slice the lemon in half. Pop the unpeeled garlic cloves inside the chicken cavity, and add 1 lemon half, setting the other half aside. Cover the chicken with foil, crimping it to the sides of the tin. Slide into the oven to roast 1 hr 15 mins.
- 4.
When the chicken has roasted for 1 hr 15 mins, remove the foil. Brush a little more of the honey and mustard glaze over the chicken and slide it back into the oven, uncovered, for 5 mins. Remove from the oven again, brush the chicken with the remaining glaze and then roast for 5-10 mins, till the skin is golden and sticky.
- 5.
Take the chicken out of the oven and check if it’s cooked through by poking a skewer or knife into the fattest part of the leg. The juices should run clear. If not, roast for 10-15 mins more. When cooked, lift the chicken out onto a plate or board, loosely cover with foil and rest for 30 mins.
- 6.
While the chicken is resting, scoop the garlic cloves out of the cavity with a spoon. Squeeze the roast garlic flesh out of the skins and crush it into a paste. Add the garlic paste to a small bowl. Pour in 1 tbsp thyme oil and squeeze in the juice from the reserved lemon half. Finely chop the parsley leaves and add them to the bowl. Add a little salt and pepper and stir well.
- 7.
Carve the chicken and serve it drizzled with plenty of the lemony thyme and garlic dressing.
- Tip
Take stock
A giblet stock is easy to make – just pop the giblets in a large pan with a sliced onion, chopped carrot, celery, a bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme and parsley. Add 2 ltrs water. Cover, bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 hrs. Strain into a sealable container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. This stock is perfect for adding to soups, risottos and gravies. - Tip
The Whole Roast
Turn your roast chicken into a feast but serving it with polenta coated roast potatoes, garlicky fried kale and golden carrots.