How to roast a chicken like a Michelin-starred chef

Sometimes, you simply can’t beat a roast chicken: crispy skin and succulent meat, with all the trimmings in a traditional roast dinner, with a crisp side salad or in something else entirely like a noodle soup. Done well, it’s a perfect and versatile staple, one that any cook should have in their arsenal.

Everyone has their own method for how to roast chicken, but who better to provide a recipe for perfect roast bird than a Michelin-starred chef?

Lisa Goodwin-Allen is the Executive Chef of Michelin-starred Northcote restaurant in Lancashire, England and The Stafford London, and a fixture on British TV, on programmes such as Great British Menu. She will also be the mentor for UK chef Marcus Clayton at the forthcoming S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2022-23 Grand Finale.

Here she provides her tips for how to roast a chicken and a recipe for roast chicken with the ultimate stuffing.

Chicken roasting tips from Michelin-starred chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen

Using a really good quality chicken is key – I would go to your local butcher and choose either a free-range or corn-fed chicken.

Always remove your chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come up to room temperature.

The stuffing recipe below can just be used as a template – you can add any flavours you enjoy to the stuffing, such as piri-piri, garlic, herbs, etc.

I favour this low-temperature method of cooking the chicken as it gives the bird a much more even cook and keeps the meat moist and succulent.

There is so much flavour in a roast chicken cooked this way, and I think it’s best to keep it traditional and serve the chicken with a classic roast garnish – you just can’t beat it. I would go for roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese and seasonal veg. For the roasties, keep the fat from the chicken to drizzle over the potatoes. Alternatively, in the summer, serve it simply with a lovely salad or slaw.

It's always worth choosing a slightly bigger chicken than you need, then with any leftovers, you can make a mega chicken sandwich! Or perhaps a lovely Caesar salad.

Then it’s great to make the most of the whole bird, not wasting anything. To make a lovely stock, cover the chicken carcass with water and add a chicken stock cube (if you have one), along with some soft herbs or aromatics and cook for 1-1.5 hours. Pass off and your stock is ready. Simple.

I would use the stock to make a lovely chicken ramen. Use the stock as a soup and season with soy, chilli, ginger and lemongrass. Add some raw veg like carrot, spring onion, some of the leftover chicken and some noodles and you’re ready to serve.

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Lisa Goodwin-Allen’s recipe for roast chicken with the ultimate stuffing

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (1.4kg/3lbs)

100g/3.5oz diced onion

140g/5oz sausage meat

100g/3.5oz finely diced smoked bacon

100g/3.5oz brioche breadcrumbs

100g/3.5oz butter (melted)

1 clove garlic (chopped)

2 teaspoons of chopped thyme

2 pinches of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 120°C/248°F.

2. Remove the wishbone from the chicken by making a small cut on either side of the bone, scraping slightly to expose it then twist and remove.

3. Carefully release the skin from the breast and the legs of the chicken by rubbing your hand underneath the skin and using your thumb.

4. Put the diced onions into a small saucepan, add a dash of olive oil and cook on medium heat for about 1‐2 minutes until soft. Remove and set aside.

5. In a medium bowl add the sausage meat, finely diced bacon, brioche breadcrumbs, melted butter, chopped garlic and thyme. Add the onions, and 2 good pinches of salt and give it a good mix.

6. Divide the mix in half. Put the first half into the cavity of the chicken. Take the second half, place it into a piping bag or carefully using your hand pipe the stuffing under the skin, guiding with your hands to evenly cover the breast and the legs and being careful not to tear the skin.

7. Place onto a tray and cook in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Once cooked remove from the oven. Turn the oven up to 200°C/392°F and leave the chicken to rest for 15 minutes

8. Place back in the oven for a further 15 minutes until golden.

9. Remove, carve and serve.

More Michelin-starred tips

If you’re looking for more chef tips for roasting chicken, check out this recipe from Michelin-starred chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Per Se.