Slow Roasted Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Herbs

Slow roasted chicken before being carved

Slow Roasted Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Herbs

This delicious slow roasted chicken is simple to prep and loaded with flavor. Rubbed with herb and garlic butter and slow roasted with lemons, the chicken comes out wonderfully juicy with a golden brown crispy skin. This whole roasted chicken is perfect for family meals and special occasions.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, british

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 30

Servings to 6 servings

Calories 590kcal

Author Slow The Cook Down

Equipment

Roasting tin
Meat injector
Instant read thermometer

Ingredients

1 whole chicken about 2.6 pounds (1.2kg)
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
2 whole lemons
1 garlic bulb
1 large bunch of fresh thyme
1 bunch of sage
5.5 ounces salted butter (150g)
Salt & pepper

Instructions

Let the chicken get up to room temp before you start and gently pat off any excess moisture with kitchen paper. Pre heat the oven to 300F / 150ºc.
In a bowl, mix 50g of softened butter with the zest of two lemons, 1 garlic clove and the leaves from a couple of sprigs of thyme and 3-4 chopped sage leaves. Leave to one side.
Put a couple of good pinches of salt and cracked black pepper into the cavity of the chicken. Take a lemon and stab it a few times with a fork. Pop the lemon, most of the sage, 8 sprigs of time and 4 garlic cloves (the cloves don't need to be pealed, just lightly bashed) into the cavity.
Using a spoon, gently lift the skin away from the breasts. Be careful you don't pierce the skin. Take the butter mixture and spoon this between the gap you have created between the skin and the breast. use your hands to push this as far down the chicken as you can. Spread any left over butter mixture of the top of the chicken.
In a small pan melt 100g of butter and mix with the juice of two lemons, 1 chopped garlic clove and leaves from a couple of sprigs of thyme and a couple of chopped sage leaves. Once it is all mixed and melted, use the syringe to inject this mixture into the chicken meat. Use about half. **YOU CAN SKIP THIS STEP IF YOU DON'T HAVE A MEAT INJECTOR**
Place the chicken, breast side down in a roasting tin, and pop any left over herbs around it, along with slices of lemon and the rest of the garlic cloves. Cover loosely with tin foil and put in the oven.
Roast the covered chicken for 2 hours.
Just before the two hours is up, heat the leftover butter mixture that you used to inject the chicken.
Remove the chicken from the oven and discard the foil. Carefully turn over the chicken so it is breast side up and pour over the melted butter mixture. Place back in the oven for another hour.
To check it's ready, use a meat thermometer which should register at 165F, or check the juices run clear when you pierce the skin.
For a super crispy brown skin, place the chicken under the broiler (grill) on medium/high for 5 to 10 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn.
Let the chicken sit for 15-20mins, covered, before carving and serving.

Notes

Get the chicken up to room temp before you start prepping it. Take the chicken out of the fridge about 30mins to an hour before you want to start the recipe. This will help it to cook more evenly.
Pat the chicken with kitchen paper to remove an excess moisture. This helps you to get a nice crispy skin.
If you don't have a meat injector, you can skip this step, just rub the butter under the skin. It's totally worth trying if you have one though!
Use a meat thermometer for the best chicken! It should register at 160-165F.
Rest the chicken for at least 15 minutes before carving it. This will mean that the juices redistribute to help keep it nice and juicy.
Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of the pan juices over the carved chicken for an extra flavor boost.
Nutritional values are based on one of four servings.

Nutrition