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Christmas Chicken on a wooden serving board.
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5 from 3 votes

Christmas Chicken

This Christmas chicken recipe is moist, juicy, flavourful and has a delicious crispy herb butter skin. Perfect for a Christmas dinner feast!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 5 minutes
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Carb
Allergen: Dairy, Meat
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 447kcal
Author: Dannii Martin

Ingredients

  • 2 kg Chicken
  • 4 tablespoon Butter room temperature
  • 1 Lemon quartered
  • 2 Oranges quartered
  • 1 tablespoon Orange zest
  • 2 Carrots chopped
  • 1 Onion peeled and quartered
  • 2 cloves Garlic peeled
  • 1 sprig Rosemary finely chopped
  • 1 sprig Thyme finely chopped
  • 2 g Parsley finely chopped
  • 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
  • 200 ml Chicken stock
UK Metric Measures - US Customary Measures

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
  • Mix together 4 tablespoon Butter, 1 sprig Rosemary, 1 sprig Thyme, 2 g Parsley and 1 tablespoon Orange zest.
  • Put 2 Carrots and 1 Onion on a baking tray. Put 2 kg Chicken on top of the and use your fingers to carefully loosen the skin by sliding it under the skin. Season with 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper.
  • Spread half of the herb butter under the skin of the chicken and the rest all over the skin. Push 2 Oranges, 1 Lemon and 2 cloves Garlic into the bird's cavity.
  • Pour 200 ml Chicken stock into the tray.
  • Roast for 2 hours.

Notes

  • Use a really good quality butter, as it's one of the main flavours for the rub.
  • Try to always use fresh herbs if you can as they will have the best flavour. Dried herbs can be used if that's all you have though.
  • Make sure to put the butter mixture under the skin and in the cavity as well. Don't just put it on top of the skin.
  • Don't skip putting the chicken on top of the onion and carrot. This is so the air can circulate under the chicken and make sure it is evenly cooked.
  • If your chicken starts to brown too quickly on top, you can add some foil loosely on top of it.
  • For some extra flavour, add a splash of white wine to the bottom of the baking tray before it goes in the oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3905IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 5mg

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