This roast chicken is one of those recipes that works for any occasion. Christmas, Sunday roasts, birthdays and beyond and the glaze turns it into the most succulent and tasty dinner option, too. Serve it with plenty of roast potatoes and the marmalade gravy on the side.
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 20 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 40 mins
Cal/Serv:
451
Ingredients
50g
butter, softened
3Tbsp.
orange marmalade
1Tbsp.
thyme leaves, roughly chopped
small higher welfare chicken (about1.2-1.4kg)
2Tbsp.
fino sherry
For the gravy
350ml
hot chicken stock
75ml
fino sherry
2Tbsp.
cornflour
1Tbsp.
marmalade
1
-2tsp Marmite or Bovril, to taste
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 the butter with 2tbsp marmalade, the thyme leaves
and plenty of seasoning. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen
paper, place on a board then lift up the skin at the neck end
(keeping any string/trussing in place). Use your fingers to
ease the skin gently away from the meat. Do the same on the
underside, over the legs, starting from the parson’s nose. Work
the butter mixture under the skin, over the breast and leg
meat. Put in a roasting tin only just bigger than the chicken.
Step 2Roast in the oven for 1hr 15min. Meanwhile, in a small
pan heat the remaining butter, 1tbsp marmalade, the sherry
and some seasoning, stirring until melted and bubbling.
Set aside until needed.
Step 3When the chicken has 15min left of cooking, remove
from the oven and brush all over with the glaze. Return
to the oven for 15min, 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
from oven, cover tin loosely with foil and leave to rest
at room temperature for 15min.
Step 4While the chicken is resting, make the gravy. In a
medium pan, bring the stock and sherry to the boil,
then reduce heat and bubble for 5min. In a small bowl,
mix the cornfl our and 2tbsp cold water to make a smooth
paste, then whisk in the marmalade.
Step 5Whisk the cornflour mixture into the pan and continue
to bubble, whisking occasionally, until the gravy thickens.
Stir in any juices from the roasting tin/air fryer (skim off excess fat first, if you like), then check seasoning and whisk
in Marmite or Bovril, to taste. Strain into a warmed jug.
Step 6Transfer chicken to a board or serving platter and
serve with the gravy.
GH TIPS:
If you want to cook this in the air fryer: Preheat air fryer to 170°C. Check your chicken fits in the air fryer – it’s important no part of it makes contact with the top of the air fryer. If it does, you need to flatten it slightly first. Place on a board, breast up. Using the heels of your hands, press down hard on to the centre of the breast to flatten. You can also trim o the tips of the drumstick joints with sturdy kitchen scissors (optional). Complete step 1, then place chicken breast-side down in the air fryer basket and cook for 30min. Brush all over with glaze, turn chicken breast-side up and cook for a further 10-15min, or until cooked through. Complete recipe.
Get ahead: Prepare to end of step 1 up to a day ahead.
Cover and chill. To serve, allow chicken to come to room
temperature for 15min and complete recipe.
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”!).
