#ewew cooks (Jamie Oliver Inspired) Roast Chicken 3 Ways

I'm a big fan of Jamie Oliver and have a collection of his cookbooks.  Being an Asian, cooking western food isn't something that's second nature to us but I've tried out a few of his recipes with all of them turning out great.  So, you could say that Jamie Oliver is the first person who 'taught' me how to cook western food.

With Christmas looming ever so near, this will be a great dish for those of you who are thinking of making a home-cooked meal for the festive holidays.

I've made this Jamie Oliver inspired Roast Chicken time and time again (for family and friends) to enthusiastic approval each time (or maybe they were just too kind) :D  [#Tip: Although Jamie Oliver's recipe uses a whole chicken, I've substituted it with a chicken leg coz this is simpler to cook and eat (plus I just don't know how to carve a whole chicken).]

I'll show you 3 ways of cooking this Roast Chicken in the hope that you'd find a version that you'll like.

Ingredients:

I whole chicken leg
5 - 6 florets of cauliflower 
1/2 a medium carrot
1 medium potato
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (or 1 knob of butter, about 10g)
A handful of fresh thyme (or rosemary)

Preparation:

Cut the cauliflower into small florets.

Roughly cut the carrot and potato into medium-sized chunks.

Here's a pic of how fresh thyme and rosemary look like (for those of you not familiar with these herbs).  Run your fingers through the stalks to remove the thyme leaves.

Method:

Season your chicken leg with salt and black pepper.  Separate the skin away from the thigh and put some butter and thyme leaves in between.  Rub some butter on the skin (this will help give it a nice golden brown colour) and underside of the chicken as well (for flavour).  [#Note: For the chicken leg, you can leave it whole (bone-in) or have it deboned (leaving just the tip of the leg for better presentation) for easier eating...it's entirely up to you.]  Sprinkle more thyme leaves (on top) and throw in the stalks as well.

Put your chicken leg into a preheated oven at 200C and bake for 30 - 35 mins.  It should be done in 30 mins but check to see if you get the desired browning, otherwise leave it in for a few extra mins.

In the meantime, boil the carrots in salted boiling water for 5 - 6 mins and the cauliflower florets for 2 - 3 mins until soft.

Drain and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

And here's my Jamie Oliver inspired Roast Chicken (with Thyme & Butter) served with a side of thyme roasted potatoes and boiled carrots and cauliflower.  The version with butter results in the crispiest skin of the 3 versions.

Whatever pan juices that remain, don't throw it away...it's liquid gold!  Spoon it over your chicken (and it will double up as the sauce).

Another equally tasty option is to make your Roast Chicken with rosemary and olive oil.  After seasoning your chicken leg with salt and black pepper, drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil and add in your rosemary (you can put some in between the skin and the thigh for added flavour).

Here you have another Jamie Oliver inspired Roast Chicken with rosemary fresh from the oven.

This is my version of Roast Chicken (with Rosemary & Olive Oil) served with rosemary roasted potatoes and boiled carrots and cauliflower.

[#Tip: I'm not sure why but these 2 versions produce only a light golden colour on the skin.  As I prefer a more golden brown look, my trick is to squeeze a drop of thick soya sauce onto my finger and lightly rub it on the surface of the skin to give it more colour (but you're welcomed to omit this step if you're happy with the colour of the finished product.]

For my third and final method of Roast Chicken, I'm going with a more Asian route which will surely be the best option for the generation (or two) before us (ie. those not used to western tastes).

For this, I'm using a deboned chicken leg with 1 tsp of Japanese soy, 1/2 tsp of oyster sauce, a drizzle of dark soya sauce, extra virgin olive oil (so that the skin crisps up) and a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste.  You can even season this before hand and leave it to marinade in the fridge overnight (leaving you more time on  the day of your party).  Sometimes I would even leave it in the freezer for up to a week before using it.

This is how my Roast Chicken looks like once it's out of the oven.  You can see that this version has the most browning because of the combination of light and dark soy + oyster sauce. 

And here you have my own inspired Roast Chicken (Chinese Style) served with roast potatoes and sautéed green beans.  Best of all, the roast potatoes cook in the same amount of time as the chicken, making this very convenient indeed.

Jamie Oliver makes the best Roast Chicken and this is my adaptation of his Roast Chicken (done 3 ways)...and I hope one catches your fancy.  And the best thing is, whether you're making one portion or many portions, the recipe and timing is exactly the same.  [#Tip: I've done it with 10 portions before and it came out beautifully...just find a baking tray that's large enough to fit your chicken legs in one layer (and fit into your oven too).]

Serve this with your choice of the best roast potatoes and you'd have a cracking festive meal at a fraction of the cost of restaurant ones.....happy days indeed!

Try it this coming Christmas and I'm sure you'll be very happy with the result ;)

P/S:  Don't have a recipe for the best roast potatoes?  Fret not, I'll show you 3 in my next post....stay tuned!

Serves 1 (each chicken leg)