Day 1: Roast Chicken Dinner

So we buy this little chicken from the poultry butchers.

When we get in we let chicken relax to get to room temperature for a while (not days just an hour or so)




When ready to start cooking Weigh the Chicken, ours was 2lb 12oz.
Now wash it.

I really like this peeler, Bill don't.

I got the task of chopping and peeling vegetables and herbs for the herb butter.
We checked inside the chicken to see if it had any gizzards in it -it ddin't.
I helped rub the herb butter into the chicken skin.
I was a bit squeamish as the chicken was heavy and floppy but it is good to be aware of where your food comes from and recognise what it is you are eating.
I was a veggie for so long and the food industry separates us soo much from this experience that it was quite surreal for me. Bill took over and showed me how it's done really massaging the chicken with herb butter and salt.

Wash herbs for butter rub
Herbs and garlic chopped into melted butter

We then put halved lemon inside the chicken which helps moisten the chicken.
We propped up the chicken in the tray so it wouldn't get soggy in the juice.
If you are going to cook and eat an animal you must make it the best way it can be made.
This is the ultimate sign of respect from a carnivore.
I have been reading MEAT by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstal and he makes some very good arguments about eating meat and how to care for the animal.

Not Ice-cream, Duck Fat!

Parboiled and covered in herbs

We cooked the vegetables in duck fat, parboiling the potatoes first.

Parboiled potatoes in microwave- full power for 6-7mins

Arrange shelves in oven
Lift chicken with bits of foil or veg so chicken gets crispy not soggy in fat
Rub in the herb butter and put lemons inside
We searched through multiple cook books and websites for a general consensus on times and oven temperature.
Stick veg on the top shelf covered in duck fat at GasMark7
Chicken in middle for 20mins
After 20mins Baste chicken and veg
Swop around veg to lower shelf and chicken to top shelf
Lower tempreture to GM4
After 30-40 minutes turn off oven and leave door open
and let chicken sit in oven for 15mins

nom nom nom

Chicken Gravy
Chicken stock cube and boiling water in pan
add chilli jam 2 tspoons
add smooth english mustard 1/2 tspoon
Melt butter in mini bowl
add plain flour and make a roux
add to liquid in the pan and slowly heat




Post Chicken Dinner Stock
Place all bits of chicken dinner -the bones, veg etc (though not the lemon)
into a slow cooker.
Place on a low heat overnight add herbs and gravy.
The next day sieve out the bones and give the meat and veg to foxes.
Keep the juice, sieve into a container.
Sit for a while so the fat seperates and pour off the fat.
Then store in the freezer for future use.