Roast Chicken (for Roast Chicken Sandwich) by our foodie fave Gemma Plunkett

Gemma Plunketts ultimate roast chicken is the gift that keeps on giving. Golden, flavour-packed and absolutely made for sambos with GOOD FAT Mayo, late-night fridge raids and all the leftover goodness in between.

Roast Chicken (for Roast Chicken Sandwiches)
Makes 4–6 Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 whole free-range chicken
4 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 lemon, cut into thick slices
1 brown onion, cut into 6 wedges
½ bunch of parsley, roughly torn
Tops of 2 fennel bulbs, roughly chopped
2 tbsp sea salt
500ml Good Bones Organic Chicken Bone Broth

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C fan-forced.

Remove the chicken from the fridge while you prepare the vegetables so it can lose a little of its chill.

Scatter the onion wedges, crushed garlic, fennel tops, parsley and lemon slices into the base of a deep roasting dish. This will form a fragrant trivet for the chicken to sit on and flavour the pan juices.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towel and season generously all over with the salt, rubbing it into the skin and cavity. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, breast-side up.

Pour the broth into the base of the pan onto the vegetables. Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and ensure the skin is well coated.

Roast for 40 minutes at 220°C to start crisping the skin. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C fan-forced and continue roasting for another 40–60 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.

The chicken is ready when the juices run clear from the thickest part of the thigh or when a thermometer inserted into the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads 70°C (after resting, you want the temperature to be above 75˚C).

Remove from the oven and rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. To make the chicken sandwiches, remove the bones, roughly chop the meat and toss with the remaining pan juices.