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–+ servings
a whole chicken roast on bed of carrots and orange slices.

Christmas Chicken (Roast chicken)

Ajoke
This Christmas chicken is moist, juicy on the inside, tasty and packed full of flavours. It is perfectly roasted until the skin is golden. This roast chicken is a sure winner on your table this Christmas or at any other time of the year.
4.97 from 31 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Chicken, Main Course
Cuisine American, British
Servings 6
Calories 522 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 kg Free range whole chicken
  • Orange zest from 1 big orange
  • 100 g Butter
  • 3 oranges or 2 large oranges
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 big onion
  • 1 garlic head
  • 1 spring rosemary
  • 3 Sage leaves
  • 1 spring thyme
  • A handful parsley
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken stock

Instructions
 

  • Bring out the chicken about half an hour before use so it comes to room temperature. Pat the chicken with a kitchen towel so it is dry.
  • Preheat the oven at 200C/400F
  • Loosen the skin on the breast of the chicken carefully using sliding your fingers under the skin or with the back of a spoon. Season the chicken including the cavity with salt and black pepper
    a spoon under the skin of a whole chicken.
  • Cut the carrots into chunks, cut the garlic bulb in halves then the onions, oranges and lemon in quarters then place in the roasting pan. Reserve 2 orange wedges and lemon for later. Set aside and proceed to prep the chicken.
  • Finely chop the herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley) and add to the butter then mix to combine with the orange zest. If the butter is still hard, place it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to soften it.
    chopped herbs on a block of butter.
  • First, rub the herb butter on the back of the chicken then place it on the vegetable bed in the roasting pan breast side up. Rub the herb butter under the loosened skin of the bird and all over it including the cavity. Stuff the cavity with the reserved lemon and orange wedges.
    Pour the chicken stock at the bottom of the baking pan.
    marinated chicken on a vegetable bed.
  • Place the chicken in the oven and roast until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the bird reads 165F/75C. For my chicken size, I roasted for about 2 hours, that is 30 minutes for every 0.5kg of the bird.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 32gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 258mgPotassium: 571mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 4185IUVitamin C: 50mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

Keyword christmas chicken roast, roast chicken, simple roast chicken
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