1.41.6 kg (3-31⁄2lb) roasting chicken, trimmed of fat
1⁄2 lemon, sliced into four
2 level tsp Dijon mustard
3
garlic cloves, crushed
4
sprigs each fresh thyme and rosemary
Juice of 2 lemons, reserving squeezed halves
1
onion, sliced
2
garlic cloves, peeled
300ml
(1⁄2 pint) chicken stock
300ml
(1⁄2 pint) dry white wine
Directions
Step 1
Make small incisions all over the chicken, except the breast. Loosen the breast skin and slip four lemon slices (two on each side) under the breast skin along with the mustard, garlic and herbs.
Step 2
Place the squeezed lemon halves inside the chicken's cavity, then put the chicken in a shallow, non-reactive roasting tin. Spoon 2tbsp lemon juice into the cavity and pour the remaining juice over. Marinate for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before roasting.
Step 3
Place the chicken, breast-side down, on a rack in the tin. Add the onion, garlic cloves and 4tbsp each of stock and white wine.
Step 4
Roast the chicken at 200°C (400°F) mark 6 for 20min, then for 30-40min breast-side up or until the juices run clear. Baste the chicken occasionally with the juices during roasting. Add a splash of stock and white wine as the liquid evaporates.
Step 5
Allow the chicken to rest, loosely covered with foil. Strain the juices into a jug and leave to stand for a couple of minutes, then skim away as much fat as possible. Return the juices to the tin.
Step 6
Place the tin over a medium-high heat, add any remaining stock and wine and scrap the sediment from the bottom. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 5min or until you have a rich brown gravy. Strain. Carve the chicken and serve.
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”!).
