Chicken - Sunday Roast.

Chicken – Sunday Roast ~ Serves 6-8.

You will need:

1 whole chicken (approx 2Kgs in weight)
8 Garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon paste
1/2 teaspoon powdered/whole cloves
1 teaspoon pepper powder
Some fresh herbs i.e. rosemary, thyme, curry leaves etc.
1 cube chicken stock
2 / 3 tablespoon white corn flour for gravy (if desired, for thickening the gravy)
1 teaspoon salt

Cut the legs & wings off if desired. Give a little wash and pat it dry with kitchen towel. Sprinkle some salt and leave it aside.

Chop garlic thin slices & herb strands. Make small incisions in a few places all over the chicken with a small knife. Hold the knife in place every time you make incision. Insert piece of garlic, strands of herbs and some clove and pepper powder. (Incisions should not be too wide that the herbs & garlic comes off, stick them in tight.) Baste it with castor little sugar or any jam of your choice. I normally use red chilli sauce for basting.

Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 175°C (if fan assisted), 300°F for 5 minutes. Place the chicken in sitting position on the middle shelf. Also place a large tray with 1- 2 cups water in it, in the bottom shelf, underneath the chicken, so that the juices fall in it whilst it is roasting. (A 2 Kg chicken would take at least 2 hours to cook well.) Turn the chicken over at the end of 1 hour.

Pierce it with kebab stick to check if cooked when it starts to brown. Leave it in to brown a bit more and slightly burnt all over. When almost done, turn the oven off and let it stand whilst making the gravy from the water that’s in the tray. (Some people like it with gravy).

I use this water for gravy as it has all the oil and spicy flavour that has dripped from the chicken whilst roasting.

To make the gravy:

You may either make it in the tray or a saucepan. Pour all the watery substance in to the saucepan crush and dissolve the chicken stock in it. Keep on stirring until the stock has dissolved.

Dissolve 2 to 3 tablespoon of white corn flour in some cold water in a cup until smooth. Keep on pouring it slowly stirring the gravy continuously so as not to leave any flour lumps. Add salt to taste.


TIP: If you like veg. in the gravy. You may add desired vegetables to the tray whilst the chicken is roasting. I have often done it and tastes delicious. Gives a different flavour to the gravy.