Classic Roast Chicken

1. Make sure you have the chicken at room temperature before cooking. For a bird this size, I give it 2 hours and pre-heat the oven to 200c fan. I would have mine on for around 10-15 minutes.
2. Rub a tbsp of oil on the bottom of your roasting tin and arrange the onions over the base. Pop the chicken on top and pat it dry. Stuff the cavity with the lemon and garlic. Drizzle the remaining oil over the top of the chicken and rub all over. Season the skin with loads of salt and pour the wine into the tin. Roast for 1 hour 10 – 1 hour 20 mins or until the juices run clear. Remove the chicken from the oven. Cover with tin with foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
3. Place the onions onto serving plate and now do a little shuffle. Pop the chicken onto a carving board so you make the gravy with the juices. Whilst it’s cooking, pop the chicken back into the roasting tin and cover it again until you are ready to carve.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and mix together. Pour in all the juices from the roasting tray. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 until thickened slightly and bubbling. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.
5. Carve up the chicken and transfer to the serving plate with the onions. Season everything with a little salt and serve immediately with lashings of gravy.

Serves 4 with leftovers

3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced into rings
Whole chicken – 2.7kg
½ lemon, cut into pieces
4 cloves garlic
200ml white wine or stock
50g butter
1 tbsp plain flour
Salt and pepper