Recipe 18 ➺ Troy Wheeler
The Perfect Roast Chicken
Troy began his butcher apprenticeship in the small New South Wales town of Barham. With five years experience under his butcher’s belt, he moved to Melbourne and began a long, successful jaunt with Peter Bouchier. Next, he landed at Andrew McConnell’s Builders Arms Hotel to train the chefs in practical butchery.
In 2015, Troy and Andrew opened Meatsmith. Their specialty butcher and wine merchant quickly became a household name for both Melbourne’s home-cooks and chefs alike. Their heritage meats, on-site skilled butchery and curated wine list are all pick of the pack. If anyone can claim the perfect roast chicken, it’s Troy Wheeler.
Ingredients & Method
INGREDIENTS
120g unsalted butter, at room temperature
A pinch of salt
1.6kg (size 16) chicken, at room temperature
1⁄2 a lemon
Pan-Juice Gravy
Roasting juices from your cooked chicken
1tbs plain flour
20g unsalted butter
125ml water
Salt and pepper
METHOD
To roast the chicken
To identify the chicken’s wishbone, use your finger to feel around under the skin up through the top of the neck cavity at the front of the chicken breasts. When you feel the wishbone, use a small, pointed knife to cut around the outside of it. Once you have cut as much as you can, without piercing the skin, pull the wishbone out.
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place the chicken in a roasting tray. Rub the chicken all over with the softened butter, being very liberal (though any leftover butter can go into the cavity).
Put the lemon inside the cavity then truss the chicken legs by tying the drumsticks together with twine so they are tight against the body.
120g unsalted butter, at room temperature
A pinch of salt
1.6kg (size 16) chicken, at room temperature
1⁄2 a lemon
Pan-Juice Gravy
Roasting juices from your cooked chicken
1tbs plain flour
20g unsalted butter
125ml water
Salt and pepper
METHOD
To roast the chicken
To identify the chicken’s wishbone, use your finger to feel around under the skin up through the top of the neck cavity at the front of the chicken breasts. When you feel the wishbone, use a small, pointed knife to cut around the outside of it. Once you have cut as much as you can, without piercing the skin, pull the wishbone out.
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place the chicken in a roasting tray. Rub the chicken all over with the softened butter, being very liberal (though any leftover butter can go into the cavity).
Put the lemon inside the cavity then truss the chicken legs by tying the drumsticks together with twine so they are tight against the body.
Roast the chicken breast-side up for 45 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the leg is 64°C.
Remove the chicken from the tray and rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Reserve the roasting juices for gravy.
To make the pan-juice gravy
Transfer the roasting juices from the tray to a medium saucepan, scraping any caramelised bits from the bottom. Mix the flour and butter in a small bowl. Add the water to the pan juices and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat.
Add the flour and butter mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens and there are no lumps, about 2–3 minutes.
If the gravy begins to split, add a splash of water, remove from the heat and continue to whisk. Season to taste.
To serve
To carve the chicken, remove the lemon from the cavity and cut down either side of the breasts; they will come away effortlessly.
Remove the legs and cut in half through the joints (return to a hot oven for a few minutes if they are a touch pink).
Arrange the chicken portions on a serving platter and squeeze the lemon half over to dress. Drizzle over the pan-juice gravy and sprinkle with sea salt.
To make the pan-juice gravy
Transfer the roasting juices from the tray to a medium saucepan, scraping any caramelised bits from the bottom. Mix the flour and butter in a small bowl. Add the water to the pan juices and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat.
Add the flour and butter mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens and there are no lumps, about 2–3 minutes.
If the gravy begins to split, add a splash of water, remove from the heat and continue to whisk. Season to taste.
To serve
To carve the chicken, remove the lemon from the cavity and cut down either side of the breasts; they will come away effortlessly.
Remove the legs and cut in half through the joints (return to a hot oven for a few minutes if they are a touch pink).
Arrange the chicken portions on a serving platter and squeeze the lemon half over to dress. Drizzle over the pan-juice gravy and sprinkle with sea salt.