Three steps to great roast chicken

Slip your seasonings under the skin for full flavor and moist meat. Rub the chicken all over with softened butter, gently pushing the butter and other seasonings under the skin without tearing it.

Fill the cavity with flavor: Season the bird inside and out with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stuff the cavity with herbs, lemon, mushrooms -whatever will enhance the flavor of the meat and the sauce.

Lift the bird with a rack so the skin crisps all around. A V-shaped rack is best, set in a heavy roasting pan just larger than the rack, but a flat rack is better than nothing.

One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional) Unsalted butter Dijon mustard Preheat the oven to 450F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better. Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird. Now, salt the chicken I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a saut pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

How to roast chicken

1. For a family roast chicken, weighing about 5 lb (2.25 kg), make a stuffing by combining in a food processor 1 peeled, cored and quartered dessert apple, 1 heaped tablespoon of fresh sage leaves, 1 peeled and quartered small onion, 4 oz (110 g) of fresh white bread, crusts removed, 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley leaves, the chicken livers, 8 oz (225 g) of minced pork or good-quality pork sausagemeat, teaspoon of powdered mace, salt and freshly milled black pepper. 2. To make the stock for the gravy, the chicken giblets are simmered for 2 hours in 1 pints (850 ml) water with 1 medium, roughly chopped carrot, half an onion, a few fresh parsley stalks, a sprig of fresh thyme, a bay leaf, teaspoon of black peppercorns and a pinch of salt. 3. To stuff the chicken, begin at the neck end where you will find a flap of loose skin: gently loosen this away from the breast and pack about two-thirds of the stuffing inside. Make a neat round shape on the outside then tuck the neck flap under the bird's back and secure it with a cocktail stick or small skewer. Take the remaining stuffing and place it in the body cavity. 4. Place the chicken in the roasting tin and smear 2 oz (50 g) of softened butter all over the chicken with your hands. Season the

chicken all over with salt and freshly milled black pepper then arrange 7 rashers of smoked streaky bacon in a row along the breast. Cut one extra rasher in two and place a piece on each leg. 5. Roast in the centre of a pre-heated oven, gas mark 5, 375F (190C), for 20 minutes per lb (450 g) plus 10-20 minutes extra this will be 1 hour and 50 minutes to 2 hours for a 5 lb (2.25 kg) bird. Baste three times during the cooking time. During the last basting, remove the crisped bacon rashers and keep them warm. For the final 15 minutes of cooking, increase the heat to gas mark 7, 425F (220C) to give the skin that final golden crispiness. When it is cooked, remove it from the oven and cover it with foil. Leave to rest for 30 minutes before serving. 6. The sauce is very easy all you do here is combine 6 tablespoons of cranberry jelly, 2 dessertspoons of chopped fresh sage, 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and some salt and freshly milled black pepper in a small saucepan. Whisk over a gentle heat until the cranberry jelly has melted. Pour the sauce into a serving jug and leave till needed (it won't need reheating it's served at room temperature). 7. Make the gravy with the pan juices and the giblet stock to serve with the chicken.

Begin by taking the chicken from the fridge about an hour before you intend to cook it (obviously if it's a hot day give it about 30 minutes only), and remove the string that holds the legs of the bird together so that the joints are loose this will take the chill off the bird and help it to cook in the shorter time. Now make a garlic and herb butter by placing the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the chopped tarragon leaves and the butter in a bowl and combine them with a fork, adding some salt and pepper. Then place the herb butter inside the body cavity of the bird, along with the halved lemon slices. Smear a little of the olive oil over the base of the roasting tin, place the chicken in it, then smear the rest of the olive oil all over the skin of the bird. Lastly, season well with salt and black pepper and then pop the roasting tin into the lower third of the oven. Now let it roast for 45 minutes without opening the oven door. When this time is up, remove the bird from the oven. Next put a wooden spoon into the body cavity and, using a spatula to hold the breast end, tip the chicken and let all the buttery juices and slices of lemon pour out into the roasting tin, then transfer the bird on to a carving board, cover with foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a tablespoon, skim off the excess fat from the juices in the roasting tin, then place the tin over direct heat, add the wine and lemon juice and let the whole lot bubble and reduce to about half its original volume. Now add the remaining tarragon, then taste and check the seasoning. Carve the chicken on to warm plates and add any juices to the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Ingredients
1 x 3 lb (1.35 kg) French Traditional Free Range chicken small lemon, thinly sliced and the slices halved, plus the juice of the remaining lemon 2 level tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed oz (10 g) softened butter 1 dessertspoon olive oil 10 fl oz (275 ml) dry white wine salt and freshly milled black pepper Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 8, 450F (230C). You will also need a solid-based, flameproof roasting tin measuring 9 x 11 inches (23 x 28 cm), 2 inches (5 cm) deep. Perfect Roast Chicken Serves 4

1 six-pound roasting chicken 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick 1 lemon 3 large cloves garlic, peeled 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 cup Homemade Chicken Stock , or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat 1. Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if

there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside. 2. In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together. 3. Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 and the thigh 190. 4. Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.