This One Pan Roast Chicken is a favourite in our house, with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. It has become one of our weekly staples, because it is a delicious, fail safe recipe which delivers every time and I don’t even have to worry about it. Whether I’m busy, or have loads of time on my hands, I enjoy making this recipe because it is like your snuggliest pyjamas or your favourite boubou; that easy comfort is just bliss.

Here are the reasons why I love it so much and why I think you will too:

1. There are always leftovers which can technically last all week in the fridge – great for general snacking, tossing chicken into a salad, making chicken sandwiches, whisking chicken chunks into an omelette, or adding protein to fried rice or a stir fry. Counts as meal prep to me!
2. No long marination times. In fact you don’t need to marinate it at all. You dump in a dish, pour water, and bake. That is all!
3. Simple ingredients for that cosy comfort of classic roast chicken with crispy skin, and no funny gymnastics in terms of technique.
4. With no extra effort, you can double this recipe and roast 2 chickens at the same time perhaps even in the same dish! We are a small family of 3, but if there were more of us, or were I expecting guests, I would totally double up.
5. There is leeway to adapt this recipe. Feel free to add herbs, spices, mushrooms, onions, or whatever you like. The only thing I don’t advise adding is anything that contains additional salt because you risk over doing it.
6. Finally, it is practically hands free, and creates its own perfectly seasoned gravy. The garlic infuses into the butter inside the cavity, which spills out into the water along with the roasting juices, and creates a delicious, perfectly seasoned gravy every single time.

We really, really love this recipe. Can you tell?

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, room temperature

3 -5 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tbsp sea salt

50g / 3tbsp salted butter

1 cup / 250ml drinking water

1 tsp black pepper

Method

-Place the chicken in an oven safe glass or ceramic dish.

-Rub the salt and black pepper all over the chicken skin.

-Stuff the garlic cloves and the butter into the cavity of the chicken.

-Pour the water into the oven dish around the chicken.

-Put the chicken dish in the middle shelf of your oven and bake it at 180*C for 1 hour 30 minutes.

– About 2 – 3 times during baking, as the buttery juices spill out and mix with the water, baste the chicken with this glorious stock.

-At the end of the cooking time, allow the chicken to rest for 10 – 15 minutes and then dig in.

Feeds 4 adults in one sitting, or 2 adults + a child with yummy leftovers.

P. S. Wondering what to do with your leftovers? I have a wicked chicken sandwich filling recipe here.