Roast Chicken for Christmas

Do you want to keep things simple this year but still have a delicious Christmas dinner? Try this roasted Christmas chicken recipe with gravy.

Learn how to salt a chicken ahead of time to make it super moist and flavorful - not just flavored skin but flavored flesh as well.

And should you like to check other roast chicken recipes suitable for the festive season or any Sunday lunch, check out How to Roast a Whole Chicken, Roast Chicken with Apples, or Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken.

Why should you roast a chicken for Christmas Day?

• Few ingredients: A whole chicken, two oranges, and a few pantry ingredients.
• Uncomplicated: Roasting chicken for Christmas is super easy: stuff the bird, bind the legs, and bake. Making the gravy is a piece of cake, and it only takes a few minutes.
• Budget recipe: There is no need to spend a lot for a holiday dinner; with this Xmas chicken, you will stay well within the budget.

Recipe ingredients

Whole chicken weighing 6 lbs (2.7 kg). It can be smaller or larger according to your needs, but adjust the roasting time accordingly.

Salt: Two teaspoons of fine sea salt or Kosher salt. If using table salt, only take about 1 ½ teaspoons; it is more potent than the other two kinds.

Oil with a higher smoking point like canola or sunflower oil for rubbing the bird. Olive oil is not suitable for this purpose.

Oranges: One large or two small for stuffing the bird. Use another orange for adding to the roasting tin. It is preferable to use organic, unwaxed oranges. Mandarins (clementines) or lemons are suitable substitutes.

Spices: Sweet paprika powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, salt, and ground black pepper. Alternatively, use a ready-made spice mix for chicken.

Chicken stock and all-purpose flour for the gravy.

How to make a Christmas chicken?

Salt the chicken:

• If using a frozen bird, defrost it in the fridge before salting.
• Remove the giblets from the chicken's cavity and use them to make stock together with the leftover roasted bones.
• Dry the bird with a kitchen towel, and rub it with the salt all over, inside and outside, under the wings as well.
• Place it in a large container and refrigerate it uncovered for 24 hours.

Prepare for roasting:

• Remove from the fridge about 1 hour before roasting to allow it to come to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 480 degrees Fahrenheit (250 degrees Celsius) and line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• Pat the bird dry with paper towels, removing the excess salt and excess moisture (don't forget to do that on the inside as well).
• Mix another ½ teaspoon fine sea salt with ground black pepper, dried thyme, garlic powder, and oil in a small bowl.
• Rub the bird with this mixture all over, outside, and in the cavity.

Stuff:

• Wash the oranges with hot water and dry them well. Quarter them.
• Place about half of the quarters in the cavity (or as many as you can fit inside).
• You can add a few sprigs of fresh herbs as well, something like parsley, fresh thyme, or rosemary.

Tie and roast:

• Tie the legs with kitchen string, tuck wing tips under the bird.
• You can truss it if you like, but I usually leave it; binding the legs is enough for me (1).

Roast for 15 minutes at a high temperature. Reduce the temperature to 400°F/200°C and continue roasting until cooked through (2).

The cooking time depends on the size of the bird.

Gravy:

• While the roasted Christmas chicken rests on a warm platter, make the gravy.
• Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan. Add stock and bring to a boil on medium heat.
• Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the flour. Bring to a boil while whisking continuously and simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes until thickened.

Serve:

• Remove the stuffing and carve the bird with a sharp knife.
• Cut the legs at the joint, then separate the drumsticks from the thighs.
• Next, separate the wings, cutting through the joint.
• Cut the breasts off the bone and slice them.
• Arrange on a serving platter.

How long do I roast the Christmas chicken?

My chicken weighed 6 lb (2.7 kg) and needed 15 minutes at 480°F/ 250°C + 1 hour and 30 minutes at 400°F/ 200°C. A smaller one will need less time; start checking after 1 hour already.

Check if it's done: The best way to check is with a digital meat thermometer; the internal temperature should be 165°F/ 74°C. Alternatively, check by piercing the bird in the thickest part of the thigh. However, this method is not reliable when cooking a large bird; it might lead to overcooking it.

What to do with leftovers?

Storage

Refrigerator: Keep the meat for 2-3 days in an airtight container, but keep the gravy in a separate container.
Freezer: You can freeze leftovers (both chicken and gravy, but in separate containers) for about 2-3 months.
Defrost it in the fridge and reheat well before serving.

Reheating

Meat: Place the chicken pieces on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or foil. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and reheat at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for about 20 minutes or until hot.
Gravy: Reheat in a small saucepan on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave. Add a splash of broth or water to loosen it slightly and stir frequently.

Leftover carcass

Use the bones and the giblets to make stock following this recipe for Turkey Broth. The leftover bones can be frozen for future use, but if the giblets come from a defrosted bird, don't freeze them again. Instead, roast them in the pan with the chicken, remove them after about 30 minutes, let them cool, and then freeze them.

What to serve with it?

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