recipe is : golden roast chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, innards removed, cleaned and patted dry thoroughly with kitchen napkins
1.5 tbsp salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed slightly
3 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp olive oil

Method

rub the chicken with salt, don't forget the cavity as well

gently separate the skin from the flesh at the breast area and slip in a clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary and thyme on each side of the chicken breast

stuff the remaining garlic cloves, rosemary and thyme into the chicken cavity

place in a ziplock bag and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight

take out the chicken to thaw to room temperature. preheat oven to 230 celcius

place chicken on a wire tray in a roasting pan, breast side up and rub chicken all over with the olive oil

place chicken into the oven and turn down the heat to 180 celcius after 20 minutes and turn the chicken to have the breast side down and roast for a further 30 minutes. this is for a more even browning and a crisper skin. turn the chicken breast side up again and roast for another 10 minutes. remove from oven, let rest for 10 minutes and carve

notes: i normally clean, pat dry and marinate the chicken right after purchase and leave it in the freezer. it does take longer to thaw the chicken to room temperature, but the marinade penetrates better and the flavour is much, much better

instead of a wire tray, i rest the chicken on top of a bed of sturdy veggies like carrots, whole onions or even some potato wedges or whole baby potatoes to roast