British Sunday · uk cuisine

Sunday Roast Chicken with Proper Gravy

Name: Sunday Roast Chicken with Proper Gravy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Cuisine: Uk
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

Season early, roast potatoes in the fat, rest the chicken while you make gravy from the tray.

By Hasnain Khan · Tested in a home kitchen · Updated 2026-08-10

⏱ 2 hrs 👤 4–5 servings 🔥 Mild ⭐ 4.9 / 5

Recipe card

Prep20 min

Cook40 min

Total60 min

Yield4 servings

Rating4.9 / 5

Calories520

CuisineUk

CourseBritish Sunday

Jump to ingredients Jump to method Nutrition

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.

💡 My tip from testing this at home: roughing parboiled potatoes by shaking them in the colander creates the craggy surfaces that turn ultra-crisp.

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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