It’s notoriously tricky to make a roast chicken look appetising. Our studio’s top tip is to get the bird from oven to set as quickly as possible, and take the shot before the skin starts to wrinkle! 

COOK AND PREP TIME: 2 HR
SERVES: 4

1 whole chicken (approx 1.6kg)

For the basting butter

2 large tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  1. Mix the butter with the ginger, garlic and parsley and season with salt and pepper. We recommend you make this a day or so ahead so the flavours really blend and develop.
  2. On the day of the big roast, preheat the oven to 200°C.
  3. To prep the chicken, gently ease the skin away from the breast and rub half the flavoured butter underneath the skin. Rub the rest of the butter on the outside of the chicken.
  4. Place the chicken in a roasting tin and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes, basting the chicken every 20 minutes to keep the meat moist and the skin crispy.
  5. Once cooked through, remove the chicken from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.