I thought with Easter weekend coming up that there would be nothing nicer than a tasty roast chicken with cranberry gravy.  The side of onions are delicious and to be honest the next time I make this I think I will maybe add an extra onions as they are delicious. 

Ingredients

50g softened butter

2 cloves garlic crushed

2cm grated ginger

Grated zest of a lemon

1 tbsp. dried tarragon (or fresh if you can get it)

2kg free range chicken

2 large onions thickly sliced

Olive oil for drizzling

Salt & freshly ground pepper

For the gravy

50g flour

100ml white wine

500ml chicken stock

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp. cranberry sauce

1 tbsp. tarragon

Gravy browning (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees/180 fan.
2. Combine butter, garlic, ginger, tarragon and lemon zest in a bowl and season well.
3. Pull back the chicken skin to make a pocket and gently push the butter mixture under the skin spreading it out into a thin layer.  Then pull back the skin.
4. Put chicken into a roasting tin and scatter the onions around it.  Drizzle olive oil over the chicken rub it in and season with salt and pepper
5. Roast the chicken for around 1 ½ hours
6. When ready remove from oven and cover with tin foil and let rest for 5 minutes
7. Spoon the onions into a warm serving bowl

• To make the gravy – pour the juices from the chicken into a pan and add the flour whisking until smooth.  Then gradually add the wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce, cranberry sauce, tarragon and gravy browning, if using.  Whisk over a low heat for 5 minutes until thickened.
• Check seasoning then put through a sieve into a warm jug.

Karen’s kitchen tip!

If you want perfectly cooked chicken invest in a food thermometer – it really makes a difference and will ensure you have perfectly cooked chicken.