Browning the butter before covering the chicken in it, adds a wonderfully nutty flavour, which works perfectly with the subtle meat.
The zesty, garlic yogurt makes for a great alternative to traditional gravy too. Try something new this Sunday, you won't regret it!
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Yields:
6
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 50 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 10 mins
Cal/Serv:
282
Ingredients
100g
butter, chopped
2
lemons, see GH TIP
1Tbsp.
dried sage, see intro
1
medium whole chicken, about 2kg
1
small garlic bulb
250g
natural yogurt
Directions
Step 1Melt the butter in a small frying pan over low heat. Once melted, increase heat to medium-high and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is golden brown and smells nutty. Pour into a heatproof bowl.
Step 2Finely zest 1 of the lemons and stir into the brown butter, along with the sage and some seasoning. Chill until solidified to a spreadable consistency.
Step 3Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Remove any trussing from the chicken (if present) and put into a medium roasting tin. Rub the chilled brown butter all over the bird, then halve the zested lemon and place both halves into the cavity. Add the whole garlic bulb to the tin and loosely cover the tin with foil.
Step 4Roast for 1hr 40min, removing the foil for the final 30min, or until the chicken is cooked through (a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast should read at least 72°C). Remove the garlic bulb, re-cover the tin with foil and leave the chicken to rest at room temperature for at least 20min (up to 45min).
Step 5Meanwhile, slice the top of the garlic bulb and squeeze the cloves into a small serving bowl. Mash with a fork then mix in the yogurt, finely grated zest of the remaining lemon (see GH TIP) and plenty of seasoning.
Step 6Transfer the chicken to a board or serving platter and spoon over some of the buttery resting juices. Swirl some more into the garlicy yogurt and serve with the chicken.
Prepare to end of step 1 up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. To serve, allow butter to soften slightly at room temperature and complete recipe.
Swap the sage for your favourite dried herb; oregano, thyme and rosemary would all work well.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
