A year ago, when I decided to get an oven for my new house, I thought it would be nice to roast some food other than baking. Watching Jamie Oliver’s shows definitely finalize my decision in getting an oven. I love to watch him cook pasta (my favorite staple) and roast meats. And I go, wow, just those simple ingredients and I get a nice simple meal.

Roasting poultry is a fairly simple technique that yields crisp-skin, moist, flavorful flesh cooked in it’s own fats and juices. Preparing is simple. I used half a chicken, thus only squeeze some lemon juice over it. If you used a whole chicken, stuff the lemon into the cavity. Place a few slices of lemon around the chicken. You can vary the seasonings you use, trying different combinations of herbs or even asian spices and soya sauce. Other than stuffing rosemary into the chicken cavity, I stuff them under the skin as well. Rub some salt all over the chicken, and some pepper if you like. To achieve crispy skin, drizzle olive oil on the chicken before putting them into the oven.

I always roast the chicken with potatoes and vegetables like baby corn, zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, etc. Garlic goes into the oven too with skin on. Toss the vegetables with olive oil and ground black pepper. As for the potatoes, I like to toss them with olive oil, salt and paprika. The roasted potatoes turn out abit charred on the sides and I like them this way. Roasted vegetables are so delicious and they taste naturally sweet. If you are serving the chicken with bread, and coincidently also a garlic lover like me, mash up the roasted garlic with a fork and spread them on your bread or potatoes. Garlicky, I like!

A combination of high and low heat produces the best results. I begin roasting the chicken at 180°C and increase the oven temperature to 200°C in the last 10 mins of roasting.

Rosemary Roast Chicken with Lemon
1 chicken, rinsed and patted dry,
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary sprigs (halved the amount if using dried rosemary)
1 garlic clove, lightly smashed
1 large lemon, washed
olive oil

Vegetables:
1 zucchini
1 bell pepper
8 baby corns
4 – 6 potatoes, peeled
cherry tomatoes, a handful
black ground pepper
olive oil
paprika

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180ºC. Rub chicken inside and out with salt, pepper and rosemary.
2. Stuff half a lemon inside the cavity. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, with the breast facing upwards. Squeeze some lemon juice over the chicken. Slice up the remaining lemon and place them on top and by the side of the chicken. Stuff some rosemary under the chicken skin.
3. Cut potatoes into chunks or wedges. Toss the potatoes with paprika and olive oil.
4. Julienne the zucchini and bell pepper. Halved the cherry tomatoes. Toss them with some black ground pepper and olive oil.
5. Arrange the potatoes, vegetables and garlic around the chicken.
6. Transfer the roasting pan into the oven and roast for about 30 to 40 mins, depending on your oven.
7. In the last 10 mins, up the oven heat to 200ºC.
8. To check if the chicken is cooked, simply insert a knife or fork into the thickest part, the thighs. When the juice runs clear, the chicken is cooked.
9. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the chicken cool down for about 10 mins before carving out the meat.