The Perfect Roast Chicken

After 30 years of cooking our chicken, it is easy for us to forget that when you switch to a properly free-range, slow-grown chicken, the way you cook it needs to change too. Because Sutton Hoo Chickens are grown slowly, for 25% longer than standard free range, it results in a larger framed bird, as the extra time allows them to develop naturally - building stronger muscle structure, deeper flavour, and firmer texture - which means they cook slightly differently. So we’re sharing our tried-and-tested guide to roasting the perfect Sutton Hoo Chicken. You can watch the videos for these recipes over on our Instagram.

Whether it’s for a celebration, a Sunday gathering, or a simple supper at home, you can’t beat a properly roasted chicken. Crisp skin, juicy meat, and a vegetable trivet underneath to catch every bit of flavour for a delicious gravy -it’s simple food, done properly.

We discovered that the secret to the most delicious chicken gravy lies in the giblets (which are included in our chickens) so if you put them in with a simple vegetable and herb trivet- it creates amazing flavoursome gravy. You can read more about how to cook with giblets on our blog.

The Perfect Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

Illustration by @a_bakingmess

·        1 Sutton Hoo Chicken

·        Giblets - Heart, neck & liver (included with chicken)

·        2 onions - peeled and halved

·        2-3 carrots - roughly chopped

·        2 celery sticks - roughly chopped

·        ½ lemon

·        Fresh sprigs of Thyme & Rosemary

·        5 garlic cloves

·        Butter

·        Sea salt

Time Saving Tip: For the vegetable trivet you can buy a soffritto mix in most supermarkets  

Preparation:

1. 45 minutes before cooking take the chicken and butter out the fridge, bringing them to room temperature

2. In a roasting tin, create a vegetable trivet with the carrots, celery, 2 onion halves, 3 garlic cloves and half the fresh herbs

3. Pat the chicken completely dry with kitchen towel

4. Untruss the chicken, discarding the string, and unpack the giblets. Remove all packaging and add the neck, liver and heart to the vegetable trivet

5. Place half a lemon, the remaining onion, fresh herbs and 3 garlic cloves inside the chicken cavity

6. Sit the chicken on the trivet and then rub all over with butter and season generously with salt

Tip: For even more flavour, make a compound butter and push it under the skin

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c/350°F (gas mark 4)

2. Roast the chicken for 35 mins per kilogram (16 mins per pound)

3. Chicken is cooked when the juices run clear after skewering into deepest part of the bird or when it reaches an internal temperature of 74 °C

4. Once cooked, place the chicken onto a board that will catch the juices. Cover lightly with foil and let it rest for 30 minutes. This gives time to make the gravy

5. Move the roasting tray with the vegetable trivet onto the hob, ready to make gravy

The Perfect Gravy

Illustration by @a_bakingmess

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• 500ml chicken stock (homemade or high quality)

• Large glass of red or white wine

• 100ml hot water

Method:

1.     Set the roasting tray over medium- high heat on the hob and give everything a good mix. Add the flour and stir in

2.     Add the wine, water and chicken stock. Stir in whilst lifting the sticky bits off the bottom

3.     Stir regularly whilst simmering for 20-30 minutes

4.     Strain the mixture into a saucepan and put the vegetables and giblets in a large pot for making stock later

5.     Let the gravy reduce on the heat, to your desired thickness. Season to taste

6.     Keep warm or reheat gently before serving