Ms Tan Hsueh Yun, The Sunday Times columnist has more than a couple tips for those who would venture into roasting their own chicken. Read on ...
1 Tuck some fresh thyme into the cavity of the chicken together with a cut-up lemon.
2 For something really fancy - slip sliced truffles and butter between the skin and breast meat.
3 Season the chicken with Maldon salt, available in some Cold Storage and Market Place superkmarkets and a few turns from one of those mixed spice blends that come in disposable grinders.
4 Paprika gives the roast chicken a great colour.
5 Two important points to note:
Get a good chicken - the larger NTUC supermarkets stock Sakura chickens from Malaysia, which are not injected with growth hormone or given anti-biotics. Instead, they are fed a srain of probiotic called Sakura lactobacillus which keeps them healthy. The chicken is larger and stays juicy no matter what - perfect for roasting!
Secondly, make sure the bird is at room temperature when it goes into the oven; this is crucial, or the chicken will be pink or red in the middle. The trick is to rinse it under running water then leave it to drain for at least 30 minutes or until the chicken is at room temperature. Pat it very dry with paper towels before proceeding.
6 A stainless steel roasting pan from Ikea is ideal. One chicken can fit snugly in it and the pan can go from oven to stove without buckling or warping. The drippings don't burn as the pan isn't larger than the bird itself and they stay brown and is a good foundation for the sauce.
7 Pour some wine into the pan, bring it to boil, scrape up the brown bits and let it all reduce a bit. Then in goes a knob of cold butter which melts into the wine to create a quick sauce. It's more tangy than gravy but you can fix that with some sugar.
8 Buy one of those mini bottles of wine available from the wine section of many supermarkets.
9 The skin isn't going to stay crispy forever, so after resting the chicken for 15 minutes, eat it.
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