Easy roast chicken marinaded in dry spices roasted with yummy garlic bread filling. It’s comfort food at its best that’ll please the family.
Mum’s favourite Roast Chicken
We asked our mum what she would like to have for dinner on Mother’s Day. Was it lobster? caviar? Or a fancy restaurant? Nope, none of that. My dearest mum wanted my roast chicken with potato salad.
My younger sister, Nara, was hoping mum would say a fancy restaurant so she could post the pictures on Instagram to make her followers jealous. However, I was happy and gloating inside. Out of all things, mum wanted me to cook her an easy comfort meal.
So at my mother’s request is her favourite roast chicken. Who is to argue with her choice? Flavourful succulent chicken with crispy skin, and irresistible buttery garlic bread stuffing.
This roast chicken is so easy to prepare and it’ll feed the entire family. It’s also guaranteed to please even the fussiest eater.
We just rub the chicken with a simple dry marinade comprising salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, sage and thyme. Then we place the chicken in the fridge overnight to let the flavour develop. Chilling the chicken will also dry its surface and create a crispy skin.
I was apprehensive about placing the chicken in the fridge uncovered overnight. First, because no one wants salmonella poisoning, and second, salt draws out moisture and makes the meat dry.
Hopefully, I can relax your concerns by letting you know I’ve made this roast many times and none of us got sick. The roast chicken is deliciously juicy, so the salt has not dried it out or made it overly salty.
A dedication to my mum
They say, ‘there’s no love like a mother’s love’. I’ve never questioned this, but it never felt so true until I gave birth to my son, Kai.
My boy was born just months before the first COVID outbreak. When I first met him, he was screaming loudly in my face. I wasn’t sure who was more frightened, me or him. This baby was so fragile, vulnerable, and dependent on me. From that moment on, my priority in life changed completely. My first job was to be a mother to him, to protect and nurture him.
Having Kai was no doubt the best gift ever, and I’ve cherished every moment with him. In a blink of an eye, he went from a baby that couldn’t even sit up to a cheeky toddler that pushes a chair towards the fridge to reach for a magnet he wants to play with.
Kai has brought me so much happiness that I can hardly breathe, but I have to be real. I faced challenges, and I struggled as a mother, especially during those first few months of being very sleep-deprived. In those darkest moments, I sometimes questioned my sanity and my ability to be a good mother.
Thinking of my mum always got me through these challenging times. I only have Kai, but my mum had the 5 of us. Both my parents were factory workers and their jobs were labour intensive. Although their wages were terribly low, they loved their job and always gave their best. Mum told me once we were her sole motivation. To provide food on the table and pay for our health and education needs.
I hope Kai will look up to me the same way I have looked up to my mum for love and comfort. To the strongest, caring and hardworking person I know, Happy Mother’s Day.
For more easy comfort meals, try out these recipes:
Ukrainian Beef and Potato Stew
Ingredients for Roast Chicken with Garlic Bread Stuffing
Whole Chicken – I used free-range chicken that weighed 1.7kg (3.7lb), however, you can use any size chicken desired. You’ll just need to adjust the baking time accordingly to the weight of your chicken. It’s approximately 20 minutes more or less in the oven for every 500g/1 lb or insert a thermometer into the inner thigh area near the breast. It should read 75ºC (165ºF).
Dried spice marinade – Mix your favourite dried herbs or spices together. I used garlic powder, thyme, sage and smoked paprika.
Coarse salt – Avoid using table salt or fine salt as it’ll make the chicken very salty. I used coarse Kosher Salt, their grains are the right size and not too big.
Day-old bread – I used day-old sourdough for the garlic bread filling. However, any variety of day-old bread should work. Day-old bread is drier and not as soft as fresh bread, which makes it easier to turn into breadcrumbs in the food processor. Dried bread also absorbs more liquid than fresh bread.
Vegetable trivet – This is a selection of vegetables used as a bed for the chicken to lie on when baking. The vegetables impart flavour to the chicken whilst roasting. Use the leftover roasted vegetables for sauce or gravy. I used garlic, onion, celery, and carrots.
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Easy Roast Chicken with Garlic Bread Stuffing
Step-by-step guide with photos
Place a roasting rack inside a large tray. The rack should lift the chicken from the base of the tray.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine and mix all the ingredients for the dry marinade. Using your hands, rub the dry marinade all over the chicken, including in its cavity. Place the chicken on top of the rack and tray and place in the fridge uncovered for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Before roasting, remove the chicken from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 1 hour.
In the last 15 minutes of the chicken resting, preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) or 210°C (410°F) for fan-forced ovens.
For the garlic bread stuffing – Roughly tear the bread into little pieces and place them in the food processor, then pulse until large crumbs form. Add the salt and mixed herbs into the crumbs.
In a frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat, then place in the garlic. Stir the garlic for 30 seconds or until fragrant, but don’t let it burn. Add the breadcrumbs into the butter and stir regularly for 2 minutes. Place stuffing into a small bowl and set aside for later.
Line the base and sides of a large baking tray with baking/parchment paper, then place foil over the top, as this will make cleaning up much easier.
Place the garlic, onion, carrots and celery on top of the foil and drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil over the vegetables.
Time to roast
Pat the chicken with paper towels but don’t rub off the spices. Wipe the cavity from the marinade so the stuffing won’t be too salty. Using a spoon, fill in the chicken’s cavity with the stuffing. Brush the chicken all over with the remaining olive oil, then tie the chicken legs together. Place the chicken over the vegetables with the breast side up, then tuck its wings behind it.
Place the chicken into the oven, then reduce the oven temperature down to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (360°F) for fan-forced ovens. Bake the chicken for 90 minutes (1.5 hours) or adjust the roasting time based on the weight of your chicken. It’s approximately 20 minutes more or less in the oven for every 500g/1 lb or insert a thermometer into the inner thigh area near the breast. It should read 75ºC (165ºF). Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Leftovers – Allow chicken to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer into a sealed container and refrigerate. It’ll be good for up to 3 to 4 days.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
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Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre
Easy Roast chicken with GarlIc Bread stuffing
Ingredients
- 1.7-1.8 kg whole chicken (NOTE 1)
Dry marinade (NOTE 2)
- 1 tbsp coarse salt (NOTE 3)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Garlic bread stuffing
- 2 cups day old fresh breadcrumbs (NOTE 4)
- 30 gm unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ tsp Italian mixed herbs (or dried parsley/oregano)
- ⅛ tsp salt (or a pinch)
For the tray (Vegetable trivet – NOTE 5)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic head (halved)
- 2 medium onions (halved)
- 2 sticks celery (chopped roughly into chunks)
- 2 carrots (chopped roughly into chunks)
Instructions
- Place a roasting rack inside a large tray. The rack should lift the chicken from the base of the tray.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine and mix all the ingredients for the dry marinade. Using your hands, rub the dry marinade all over the chicken, including in its cavity. Place the chicken on top of the rack and tray and place in the fridge uncovered for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Before roasting, remove the chicken from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 1 hour. In the last 15 minutes of the chicken resting, preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) or 210°C (410°F) for fan-forced ovens.
- For the garlic bread stuffing – Roughly tear the bread into little pieces and place them in the food processor, then pulse until large crumbs form. Add the salt and mixed herbs into the crumbs. In a frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat, then place in the garlic. Stir the garlic for 30 seconds or until fragrant, but don't let it burn. Add the breadcrumbs into the butter and stir regularly for 2 minutes. Place stuffing into a small bowl and set aside for later.
- Line the base and sides of a large baking tray with baking/parchment paper, then place foil over the top, as this will make cleaning up much easier. Place the garlic, onion, carrots and celery on top of the foil and drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil over the vegetables.
- Pat the chicken with paper towels but don't rub off the spices. Wipe the cavity from the marinade so the stuffing won't be too salty. Using a spoon, fill in the chicken's cavity with the stuffing. Brush the chicken all over with the remaining olive oil, then tie the chicken legs together. Place the chicken over the vegetables with the breast side up, then tuck its wings behind it.
- Place the chicken into the oven, then reduce the oven temperature down to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (360°F) for fan-forced ovens. Bake the chicken for 90 minutes (1.5 hours) or adjust the roasting time based on the weight of your chicken. It's approximately 20 minutes more or less in the oven for every 500g/1 lb or insert a thermometer into the inner thigh area near the breast. It should read 75ºC (165ºF). Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
