Home Traditions: Juicy, Roast Chicken

By Andrea Pavee

Happy New Year!

Here’s hoping the year ahead will be filled with many good things, joys and blessings all around.

Having had a good break over the Christmas holidays, I was raring to get started cooking again. To ease into it, I opted for a simple roast chicken.

Chicken is a wonderfully versatile meat which can be prepared any which way, and still taste delicious.

One of the best ways to prepare meats, without fuss is to roast it – and chicken is no exception. All you need to do is just marinate your meat, and the oven takes care of the rest.

A general rule of thumb to roasting meat, is the length of time the marinade sits on the meat – the longer the better.

However, if pressed for time, just marinate, and roast. Although, a 24-hour marinate will make for a richer flavor.

Yesterday’s roast was prepared with a generous lashing of barbeque sauce, and honey. Additionally, liberal peppering of black & cayenne peppers, (if you prefer a touch of the piquant spices), paprika, salt and a sprinkling of chicken stock – all flavoured to taste.

Once the marinade is slathered all over the bird, cover the baking dish with cling film and leave to sit in the fridge.

The roast can take up to an hour, depending on the size of the bird. When you are ready to roast, fire up your oven to 220C about 20 minutes before baking your bird.

While the oven is heating, take out the marinating bird from the fridge, and leave it to gently warm on the kitchen counter.

After 20 minutes, place the bird in the oven to bake. 20 minutes later, lower the temperature to 180C. Either turn or baste your roast every 20 minutes to make sure the meat does not dry out.

Roast chicken is delicious whether served on rice, or with bread, baked or mashed potato. Accompany that with either a stir-fry or salad for a truly satisfying meal.

Enjoy!

Posted by Chayo, HomSkil Editor 1, 8 January 2023