Roasted Chicken (Granite Roaster)

Perfectly roasted whole chicken with fall-apart-tender meat, lightly browned and crisp skin is easy to achieve by using an inexpensive and somewhat “old fashioned” technique. I love cooking in a roaster as it is very hands off because of the self-basting and spares my oven from greasy splatters. This method captures all of the wonderful flavours as it roasts. This recipe suits a large Granite roaster with a rack.

1 (3-4 lb) whole chicken, giblets removed (1.3-1.8 kg)
1 small lemon, quartered

Herb Oil Rub:
extra-virgin olive oil and/or butter
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
dried rosemary and thyme or your favourite spice blend

Vegetables:
2 ribs celery, cut in half
2 large carrots, quartered
12 baby potatoes

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C/155°C fan, Gas Mark 3). Position a rack in the middle of the oven.

Take the chicken out so it can reach room temperature, about 30 minutes before cooking. There is no need to rinse the chicken, just pat it dry with paper towels. Insert lemon quarters into the cavity.

Massage the chicken well with olive oil, place on a rack inside the roaster. Then sprinkle generously with herbs, salt and pepper. Place the vegetables in the pan around the chicken. Let the flavours soak in for 10-15 minutes.

Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour with the cover on.

Take the cover off, baste the chicken and return to the oven and roast for 20 minutes more.

When it is a golden brown, remove and let sit for 20 minutes before carving. If vegetables need more browning, return them to the oven.

Put carved pieces on a platter, drizzle with pan juices and serve with vegetables.

Makes 4 servings.