Everybody loves a good homemade roast chicken! Well maybe the vegans and vegetarians don’t… but everyone else loves a homemade roast chicken! I love the simplicity, ease and minimal cost that comes with such a delicious and soul satisfying meal. I also love that my whole family enjoys sitting down and sharing a lovely roast chicken. It makes an ideal toddler dinner and is wonderful for baby led weaning too.
My Roast Chicken with Garlic, Sage and Thyme was just what the doctor ordered today after a day at work, a toddler who hadn’t slept, plus minimal supplies in the fridge and pantry. Hello trusty garlic and home grown herbs! A few minutes chopping and prepping and you will have a wonderful meal in the oven. You can then spend the next hour that it’s cooking catching your breath, enjoying a hot cup of tea (put Play School on, seriously) or getting some odd jobs done (that cup of tea is looking mighty fine).
The wonderful thing with Roast Chicken is that the story doesn’t end at that first meal. Leftovers can be used to make:
- freezable sandwiches for work and school lunches. Simply put chicken and mayonnaise on a sandwich, wrap in Cling Wrap then freeze. On the day you want one, take it out and let thaw in your bag. By lunch it will be perfect!
- healthy and delicious homemade chicken stock
- kid friendly Chicken Noodle Soup
Roast Chicken with Garlic, Sage and Thyme – serves 4
1 1-1.5kg chicken (preferable free range or organic)
3-10 cloves of garlic, peeled (depending on how much you love it!)
5 fresh sage leaves finely chopped
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 leek (secret ingredient!), sliced and rinsed
3 medium potatoes, washed, cut into wedges
1 medium sweet potato, washed, cut into chunks or wedges
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Slice your leek and rinse in a colander under running water. This is very important as the many layers of a leek hide a lot of dirt and grit. Place sliced leek in a large roasting pan.
3. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Place chicken on top of the sliced leek.
4. Place desired number of garlic cloves in the cavity and you can also pierce the flesh and push the bulbs into the chicken itself. I also like to cut one clove in half and rub it over the skin.
5. Place your chopped vegetables around the chicken.
6. Drizzle both chicken and vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place herbs over the top of the chicken.
7. Place roasting pan in the oven to roast for 25 minutes per 500g of chicken. I had a 1.4kg chicken and roasting for 1h 15 minutes.
8. Now for the hot tip… When you take the chicken out of the oven, place it upside down either in the pan or on a plate to rest, covered in foil. This allows all the lovely juices to run back into the chicken breasts and keep them lovely and moist. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving up.
Serve your delicious Roast Chicken with Garlic, Sage and Thyme with the roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and some steamed vegetables (Possum loves her carrots and broccoli). Nom nom nom.
***Want something delicious for dessert? Check out my Egg Free Spiced Pear Cake.
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