British Sunday · uk cuisine
Sunday Roast Chicken with Proper Gravy
Season early, roast potatoes in the fat, rest the chicken while you make gravy from the tray.
From my kitchen notebook
Rest the bird twenty minutes while potatoes finish. Gravy from the tray, not a cube — that is the Sunday rule.
Recipe card
Why this recipe works
Sunday roast is less a recipe and more a rhythm: bird in, potatoes on, veg timed, gravy stirred while the chicken rests. Resting is where amateurs lose juiciness — carve too soon and the board becomes a puddle. I roast potatoes in hot fat until they rattle when shaken. Gravy starts with the tray: those sticky browned bits are flavour, not mess.
Expert kitchen tips
- A thermometer removes guesswork — golden skin can still hide undercooked joints.
- Add a teaspoon of marmite or soy to gravy for savoury depth if stock is weak.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (1.7–2kg)
- 1 lemon, half a head of garlic, fresh thyme or rosemary
- Butter, salt, pepper, olive oil
- 1.2kg potatoes, peeled and chunked
- 3 tbsp goose fat or oil for roasties
- 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick under the bird
- Gravy: 2 tbsp flour, 400ml hot chicken stock, splash white wine optional
Step-by-step method
Heat oven to 200°C / 400°F. Season chicken inside and out. Stuff with lemon, garlic, herbs. Rub with butter. Lay on a bed of roughly chopped veg.- Roast about 1 hour 20 minutes (or until thickest part hits 75°C / 165°F). Baste once or twice.
Parboil potatoes 10 minutes, rough the edges, roast in hot fat on a separate tray until deep gold, 45–55 minutes.- Rest chicken 20 minutes tented loosely with foil.
For gravy: remove veg from tray, spoon off excess fat, set tray over medium heat, whisk in flour, then stock, scraping fond. Simmer until glossy; season and strain.- Carve and serve with roasties, greens, and gravy.
Estimated nutrition
About 520 calories per serving (based on 4 servings). Values are estimates for home cooks and vary by brands, oil used, and portion size — not lab-analysed.
Serving ideas & leftovers
Serve hot, taste for seasoning at the table, and store leftovers in an airtight container once cool. Most of these dishes reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water, stock, or the dish’s own sauce so the texture stays kind.
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