Cooking for a crowd? This roast chicken recipe makes an easy and delicious main! THR1VE chef Lars Oddershede shares his tips and tricks for the perfect roast chicken, every time.

This roast chicken recipe is a total crowd-pleaser! Cooked with a fragrant spice rub, it elevates this homestyle dish to the next level. To make your chicken extra succulent, Lars recommends putting the whole chicken in brine overnight, although you can skip this step. Serve it up with a fresh salad, roasted veggies, a colourful slaw or any veggie side.

We love serving this roast chicken recipe to family and friends because it can be prepared entirely in advance, then just popped in the oven before guests arrive. No need to spend your party slaving away in the kitchen! Bonus: this roast chicken recipe is low-carb, so if you’re watching your macros, this is the perfect addition to your table.

Spiced roast chicken

Ingredients

• 1 x medium-sized whole chicken
• 500ml brine
• 40g roast chicken rub

• 10g fried shallots
• Pinch dried garlic
• Pinch dried rosemary
• Pinch dried paprika
• Pinch sea salt
• Pinch dried oregano
• Pinch dried basil
• Pinch dried thyme
• Pinch chilli flakes
• Pinch black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the whole chicken in a roasting tray on a rack and leave in the fridge for 30-60 min to dry out the skin.
2. Here at THR1VE we brine our chicken overnight to make it extra succulent, however this step is optional. If you want to try it out, start by dissolving the salt in water. Squeeze the 2 lemons into the water and add the squeezed lemon pieces for extra flavour. Place the chicken in a bowl, breast down, and cover with the brine. Place a plate on top to keep the chicken submerged and leave in the fridge overnight (4+ hours). After brining, remember to dry out the chicken to get the skin crispy.
3. For the roast chicken rub, combine all ingredients in a mortar and pestle. Once the chicken has dried out, generously sprinkle the roast chicken rub all over with a heavy layer on the chicken breast. Drizzle with olive oil and place in a preheated oven 180-200°C and cook for 45-60 min, depending on the size of your chicken.
4. To check if the chicken is cooked, put a temperature probe in the thickest part of the breast and leg, to check core temp is over 72°C. If you don’t have a temperature probe, do the same check and make sure the juices running out are clear. We would recommend serving this with steamed green veg, cauliflower rice and/or sweet potato mash.

About Lars

Lars Oddershede is a new product development specialist at THR1VE. Lars is a Michelin-trained chef and has worked in fine dining restaurants in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and his home country of Denmark.