Roast Greenwich chicken with thyme and pancetta

Bird is the word.

Christmas is approaching, so it’s time for a little warm up. This recipe is the perfect Sunday roast, totally easy and super tasty. The logistics of a roast is simple. Pick a good meat, jazz it up with flavour, then whack it in the oven and time it. I every now and then check how it is going and drizzle the oils and juices on top so it doesn’t go dry. This recipe is totally delicious and the principle is to get fantastic flavours right into the bird. I am using a corn-fed chicken in this recipe as you can really taste the difference with free-range birds. Stuff the bird with thyme, garlic, lemon zest, and pancetta to unleash a paramount of flavours. Pair this up with some home made stuffing (I will show you how to make this as well on the next blog) and some roast potatoes, you really can’t ask for more!

READY TO COOK?

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC and get a good big sized baking tray.
2. Using your fingers, part the breast skin from the breast meat. Be gentle as you will rip the skin.
3. In a small bowl, grate the zest of 1 lemon. Keep the pealed lemon to the side.
4. Hand pick the thyme leaves into the same bowl.
5. Finely chop the garlic and add to the bowl.
6. Add the pancetta, olive oil, and season well with black pepper and sea salt.
7. Add the butter and mix it all together with you hands.
8. Push this mix into the space you have made in the chicken, rub it all over the chicken as well.
9. Stuff half a lemon into the cavity with any remaining herbs. Quarter the rest of the lemon for the chicken to sit on.
10. Season the chicken one more time with black pepper and sea salt.
11. Cook the chicken for 60-80 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. (60 minutes for 1kg, 80 minutes for 1.6kg, 90 minutes for 1.8kg)
12. Baste the chicken every 20 minutes with the juices that have flowed to the bottom of the baking tray.
13. When the chicken is cooked, rest the bird for 10 minutes before serving.
14. Serve it with some roast potatoes, stuffing (recipe to follow), and some gravy.

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg chicken, preferably corn-fed or free range
• 200g pancetta (diced)
• 1 hand full of fresh thyme leaves
• 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 100g softened butter
• olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 1 lemon

So simple, so good!