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Roast chicken with thyme butter
Oven

Roast chicken with thyme butter

Whole roast chicken with herb butter under the skin, golden roots crisping in the drippings, and a pan gravy made from the tray. MEAT MATE PRO watches the breast so you can lay the table and pour the wine.

4 servings 25 min prep 1 h 15 min cook 15 min rest safely cooked through

Pull and target temperatures are set in the MEAT MATE PRO app. Pick your protein, cut, and doneness.

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Take the chicken out of the fridge so it loses the worst of the chill.
  2. Mash the butter with the thyme, garlic and lemon zest until evenly mixed.
  3. Slide your fingers under the breast skin and ease it loose. Push half the butter under the skin on each side. Smear the rest over the legs.
  4. Season the cavity, push in the lemon halves and a couple of thyme sprigs. Tie the legs loosely.
  5. Toss the potatoes, carrots and parsnips with the olive oil, salt and pepper directly in the roasting tray. Push them to the edges. Place the chicken breast-up on the onion halves in the centre. Pour the wine into the bottom of the tray.
  6. MEAT MATE PROInsert the MEAT MATE PRO probe into the thickest part of the breast, angling toward the centre, avoiding the bone.
  7. Roast for around 60 minutes. After 30 minutes, baste the bird with the tray juices and turn the vegetables so they crisp evenly in the drippings.
  8. MEAT MATE PROWhen MEAT MATE PRO tells you to pull, take the bird out of the oven. Carry-over finishes the breast while it rests.
  9. Lift the chicken onto a warm board and tent loosely with foil to rest for 15 minutes. Tip the vegetables into a warmed serving bowl and keep them covered.
  10. Strain the tray juices into a small saucepan, skimming off the worst of the surface fat. Add the chicken stock and reduce by a third over high heat. Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter until glossy.
  11. Carve the bird. Serve with the roasted roots and the gravy spooned over.
Chef's note

"A whole chicken doesn't ask for much. A target, a rest, and the patience to let it come up on its own. The probe handles the first. You handle the rest."