Classic British Sunday Roast Chicken
A reliably glorious Sunday roast: golden, crisp-skinned chicken with buttery herby meat, crisp roast potatoes and a glossy pan gravy. Feeds the family and smells like comfort.
This is the roast chicken your mum remembers — uncomplicated, reliably delicious, and built around a proper crispy skin. It’s the sort of Sunday dish that fills the house with smells that make neighbours suspiciously chatty.
Make it when you want a fuss-free main that scales for company. A few smart moves — drying the skin, slipping herb butter under it, parboiling the potatoes — elevate this from 'mid-week' to 'ceremony'. Sit back with a pint while it roasts; you’ve earned it.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 kg whole chicken (use free-range if you can)
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 45 ml olive oil
- 6 count garlic cloves, peeled
- 15 ml fresh thyme — leaves, roughly chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 count lemon — halved
- 1 count large onion — halved, for stuffing and pan
- 25 ml sea salt — coarse — total (surface and potatoes)
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 1.2 kg maris piper or floury potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks
- 3 count parsnips, peeled and halved lengthways — about 300g
- 4 count carrots, peeled and cut into baton-sized pieces — about 400g
- 15 ml plain (all-purpose) flour
- 500 ml chicken stock — hot
- 100 ml dry white wine (optional) — or 100ml extra stock
- 15 ml fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish) — optional
- salt for parboil — a large pinch in the potato parboil water
Equipment
- roasting tray (large)
- roasting rack (optional)
- meat thermometer (instant-read)
- large saucepan (for parboiling)
- colander
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200°C fan / 220°C conventional (Gas 7). Place a roasting tray large enough for the chicken in the oven to heat — this helps the skin crisp.
Dry the chicken thoroughly inside and out with kitchen paper. Loosen the skin over the breasts with your fingers so you can slip softened butter under it.
Mix the butter with chopped thyme, a pinch of sea salt (from the total), and half the crushed garlic. Gently push this butter under the breast skin and rub the remaining butter over the whole bird. Season the outside with the remaining sea salt and black pepper.
Stuff the cavity with the halved lemon, halved onion and whole rosemary sprigs. Truss the legs with kitchen twine if you like (helps even cooking). Place the chicken breast-side up on the hot roasting tray or on a rack set in the tray.
Put the chicken in the oven: roast at 200°C fan for 20 minutes to jump-start the colour, then reduce the oven to 180°C fan and continue roasting for the calculated remaining time. Use the rule: 20 minutes per 500g (½ kg) plus 20 minutes total. For a 2.2 kg chicken this is about 1 hour 48 minutes (total roasting time 108 minutes).
While the chicken starts roasting, parboil the potatoes: put potatoes in a large pan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes until the edges are just tender. Drain in a colander and give the colander a good shake to rough up the edges — this helps them go super-crispy in the oven.
Parboiled potatoes: transfer to a roasting tray, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle 1 tsp sea salt (from the total) and toss. Put potatoes into the oven when the chicken has around 60 minutes left. Roast for 45–60 minutes, turning once or twice until golden and crisp.
Toss carrots and parsnips with 1 tbsp olive oil and a little salt. Roast on a tray for 35–40 minutes, adding them to the oven when the chicken has around 45 minutes remaining so everything finishes together.
Check doneness with a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone — it should read 75°C. If you don't have a thermometer, pierce between thigh and body — juices should run clear (not pink).
When done, transfer the chicken to a warm plate and rest, loosely covered with foil, for 15 minutes. This lets the juices redistribute and keeps the meat juicy.
Make the gravy: pour the roasting tray juices into a jug, spoon off and discard most of the fat (leave about 2 tbsp). Put the tray on the hob over medium heat, add the chopped remaining onion (from cavity if desired) and gently fry in the fat to soften for 3–4 minutes. Sprinkle over the plain flour and cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
Gradually add the hot chicken stock (and wine if using) to the tray, whisking or stirring to dissolve the roux and lift the fond. Simmer for 5–8 minutes until slightly reduced and glossy. Taste and adjust seasoning; strain if you want a silky finish.
Carve the rested chicken: remove legs, then breasts, slice against the grain. Serve with roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips and spooned pan gravy. Scatter chopped parsley to finish.
Tips
- Dry the bird thoroughly (inside and out) and let it sit uncovered in the fridge for an hour if you have time — drier skin = crispier skin.
- Rough up parboiled potatoes in a colander or by tossing in a tea towel — the 'ruffled' edges become delightfully crunchy.
- Use a meat thermometer and aim for 75°C in the thigh; it’s faster and safer than guessing by colour.
- Rest the chicken for at least 15 minutes under loose foil; carve after resting to keep the meat juicy.
- Make the gravy from the roasting tray juices for true Sunday authenticity; deglaze with wine or stock and simmer to concentrate flavour.
Substitutions
unsalted butter → olive oil (use 4 tbsp), rub on skin instead
Stays closeplain (all-purpose) flour for gravy → cornflour slurry (1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water) added to simmering stock
Stays closewhole chicken → two large bone-in chicken breasts and two leg quarters (adjust roasting time; cook until 75°C)
Noticeably differentmaris piper potatoes → king edward or desiree (floury varieties preferred); waxy varieties will yield a firmer, less fluffy centre
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 630
- Calories
- 45 g
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I roast at a single temperature instead of the 20 minutes high then lower?
Yes — you can roast at a steady 180°C fan for the total calculated time. The initial higher heat simply gives a quicker colour and crisper skin, but steady roasting is perfectly fine.
How do I know the chicken is safe without a thermometer?
Pierce the thickest part of the thigh near the bone — the juices should run clear, not pink. That said, an instant-read thermometer (75°C in the thigh) is the most reliable method.
Can I prepare anything the day before?
Yes: you can peel and cut potatoes and veg and leave them in cold water overnight. You can also make the herb butter and store it chilled; add to the bird just before roasting.
My gravy is lumpy — how to fix it?
If you used flour and got lumps, push the gravy through a fine sieve and whisk in a little hot stock. Next time, make a paste with flour and a spoon of fat first, then add hot stock gradually.
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