I cook roast chicken all the time with many different flavours but this classic has to be one of my favourites. Crispy skin and juicy chicken that has been basted in lemon juice, garlic, white wine and rosemary. It doesn’t always have to be smothered in gravy to be delicious.

I made this summery version with a fresh side salad and hot and spicy rice to make a change from our usual Sunday dinner. Simple is sometimes best.

Ingredients

1 large chicken (mine was 2.26kg)

4 tablespoons butter

4 cloves garlic – minced

Few glugs of olive oil

Handful of fresh rosemary

Juice of 1 lemon

100ml dry white wine

1/2 a lemon for the cavity

Salt and cracked black pepper to season

Method

Preheat oven to 200c / 180c

Melt your butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the juice of the lemon, the minced garlic and the white wine. Stir to combine.

Season the chicken with salt and cracked black pepper.

Stuff the half of the lemon in the chicken cavity along with the rosemary.

Pour the buttery juice over the chicken, massaging it in all over (the chicken not yourself, although some people swear by it)!

Cover with foil ( but 40 mins before end of cooking time remove the foil so the skin crisps up).

Roast in the centre of your oven according to your cooking instructions or weight of chicken. My chicken was 2.26kg and I roasted for 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Throughout cooking baste with the juices. This bit is important as it infuses the chicken with all the beautiful flavours and makes the meat tender and delicious.

Serve with rice and a fresh side salad.