The Perfect Roast Chicken (Free Range, Of Course)

A great roast chicken is one of the few dishes that you can put on a Tuesday night and still feel like you've cooked something. The trick is getting the skin right. The rest is mostly waiting.

Serves 4. Prep 10 min. Cook 75 min. Rest 15 min.

What you need

• 1 free-range whole chicken (around 1.6kg) - our size 16 is the sweet spot
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head garlic, halved across
• Sprigs of thyme, rosemary, sage - whatever's in the herb pot
• 50g butter, softened
• Sea salt, cracked pepper, olive oil

The method

Dry skin = crispy skin. Pat the bird with paper towel. Inside the cavity too. If you've got time, leave it uncovered in the fridge for an hour to dry out further.

Heat oven to 220?C.

Mix butter with chopped herbs, salt, pepper, lemon zest. Slide your fingers under the breast skin and push the herb butter in there - gets the seasoning right against the meat.

Stuff the cavity with lemon halves, garlic, herb sprigs. Tie the legs loosely with kitchen string - helps the bird cook evenly.

Rub the outside with olive oil, salt heavily, crack pepper.

Roast 20 min at 220?C, then drop to 180?C for another 50 min.

Test: pierce the thigh - juices should run clear. Or check internal temp at the thickest part of the thigh: 75?C is the goal.

Rest 15 min loosely tented with foil. Skip this and you lose all the juice to the carving board.

What to do with the carcass

Don't throw it out. Toss it in a pot with an onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns, bay leaf. Cover with water. Simmer 4 hours on low. Strain. You've got 1.5L of incredible chicken stock for free.

Free-range vs supermarket

A free-range bird tastes like chicken - deep, savoury, the way it used to before factory production. The skin crisps better, the meat doesn't weep liquid in the pan. Once you make this with a proper bird, the supermarket alternative will start to feel sad.