There is something deeply satisfying about a perfectly roasted chicken with a crispy, golden- brown skin and succulent, flavourful meat. This dish is a symbol of comfort and family.

The key to a truly amazing roast chicken begins before it reaches your kitchen. It starts with quality of the chicken itself. The quality of the chicken is of paramount importance when considering the flavour and texture of the roast. This is why choosing the right chicken is essential, and that's where we come in.

At our FX Buckley Butchers, we understand the importance of providing only the highest quality meat. We are proud to supply the finest of Irish chickens, ensuring that our customers experience the best taste and quality possible. Among our selection, we highlight our specialty Free Range Carlow Chickens. Raised in the lush, green fields of Carlow, these chickens live a natural and happy life, resulting in meat that is tender, rich, and full of flavour.

Here's the FX Buckley guide to the perfect roast chicken!

  1. Preparation: Start by assembling all your ingredients. This includes a whole chicken, 6 crushed garlic cloves, 3 halved large brown onions, 2 lemons also halved, 750g of baby potatoes, a mixture of woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, parsley, and sage, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.

  2. Pre-Heat the Oven: Initiate the cooking process by warming up your oven to a temperature of 220°C.

  3. Arrange the Onions: Create a base for your chicken by arranging the halved onions in the centre of a roasting dish.

  4. Seasoning: Next, position the chicken on top of the onion base. Drizzle the lemon juice from the halved lemons over the chicken, before stuffing these lemon, along with the crushed garlic, inside the chicken cavity. Tie the chicken legs together using kitchen twine, and then season the chicken generously with salt and ground black pepper.

  5. Prep the Potatoes: Rinse the baby potatoes under cold water, then mix them with olive oil, half of your chopped herbs, and a good dash of salt and pepper. Arrange these potatoes around the chicken in the roasting dish.

  6. Roasting: Transfer the roasting dish into your preheated oven. Roast until thetemperature of the chicken's breast and the thighs show at least 75°C on an instant- read meat thermometer- this should take approximately an hour for a 2.2kg chicken.

  7. Resting: After cooking, take out the chicken from the oven, cover with tinfoil and allow to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, mix the potatoes with the rest of the chopped herbs. After resting, carve your chicken and serve it straight away!