Lemon and Thyme Roast Chicken

The benchmark dish for any new oven, including the EAF85. A 1.5-1.7 kg whole chicken roasts in the 12L with vivid skin and the kind of even browning that conventional ovens fight to deliver. Lemon, thyme, garlic, butter — that's the entire idea.

Heat: 0/5. Pure savory.

Tame it

No heat to tame.

Serving

The classic Sunday roast plate: roast potatoes, peas, gravy, plenty of bread. Or a French-bistro plate: green salad, baguette, butter, a bowl of jus to dip. White wine — Chardonnay (lightly oaked, not New World heavy) or a cool-climate Pinot Noir for red.

Notes

• The dry-the-skin trick (step 2) is the difference between okay-roast-chicken and great roast chicken. If you remember to pat dry and air-dry the night before, do it.
• Don't skip the truss. Untrussed legs splay outward, exposing the breast meat too much; the breast overcooks while the thighs are still pink. Twine is cheap; 30 seconds of fiddling pays off.
• The squeeze of cavity-roasted lemon (step 11) onto the carved chicken at the table is the small move that elevates the dish. Most home cooks skip it.
• Use the carcass. After eating, simmer the carcass with onion + carrot + celery + parsley stems + peppercorns for 2 hours = chicken stock. Or pressure-cook in the PCC20 for 35 min on P10 (Caldo).
• Variations: swap thyme for tarragon (more French), add a bay leaf to the cavity (more British), or rub miso paste mixed with butter under the skin instead of plain butter (umami bomb).
• Air-dry overnight tip: place the seasoned (salt-only at this stage) chicken on a rack over a tray, uncovered, in the fridge for 12-24 hours. The skin dries out and crisps to almost-Peking-duck-level. Apply butter just before roasting.