There’s nothing better than an easy chicken dinner, and this one is made all in one pan with a few simple ingredients. The vegetables and gravy just add to the comfort, just add mash. This is comfort food for the whole family. When you serve up juicy and moist sliced chicken dinner with vegetables, gravy is an absolute must, and I’m going to tell you how to get the most delicious and easy chicken gravy recipe with little effort.
Preparing a chicken for roasting
The first important step is to dry the skin using paper towels. If I have time, I like to leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours, uncovered, to dry out the skin of the chicken and make it crispier. I then tie up the legs with oven-proof kitchen twine, season with butter or olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper on the skin, under the skin, and inside. This is done before it is added to the pan.
Time saving roast chicken
An excellent way to cut down the roasting time for chicken by about 15 minutes is to butterfly the chicken. You can read about my easy step-by-step guide on How to Spatchcock a Chicken.
Achieving the best flavor
When you roast a chicken or turkey in a dry pan, the juices (or pan drippings) drip onto the pan and can evaporate in the heat of the oven. This is how I alleviate that problem… The secret to making pan gravy in the oven is adding carrots, celery, parsnip (this adds a lovely, natural sweetness to the gravy), onion, and garlic to a shallow roasting pan. Chicken broth or chicken stock is added, and the chicken is set on top of the vegetables. As it roasts, its juices drip into the broth/stock, and as the vegetables cook, they add so much flavor to the gravy. It’s so easy, right?
Best pan to use for roast chicken
One that fits the size of your chicken is important. You don’t want to crowd the pan, or the chicken will steam instead of roast. You can also use a cast-iron pan (like I did when I roasted my roast Cornish hens). The gravy is thickened with cornstarch instead of flour. Adding raw flour to a sauce before allowing it to cook in the pan with butter or oil will result in pasty, flour-tasting gravy. Cornstarch thickens perfectly with no adverse effect on the delicious taste of the gravy. I am a fan of crispy skin and love to season whole chicken with fresh herbs. Whether it’s chicken skin or turkey skin, I enjoy both. Before slicing the birds, I usually remove the skin to keep it crispy, or you can crisp it up in the oven.
Meat thermometer is very important for roasted meats
If you are roasting any type of meat, you should invest in an instant-read thermometer. The most accurate reading is obtained by inserting it into the thickest part of the thigh without hitting a bone. The cook times provided in recipes are only guidelines because every oven cooks at a different rate. The only accurate way to determine if meat is cooked is by checking the internal temperature. I discuss this in more detail in my post on the perfect roast turkey. It’s important to let a roast chicken rest on a cutting board after coming out of the oven so the juices stay in the meat. If you’ve made this Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Delicious Gravy or any other recipe, please leave a star rating in the recipe card. In addition, you can leave a comment or ask a question below.
