Steam Oven Roast Chicken
I’ve stuck with the classic seasonings of lemon, garlic and herbs for this steam oven roast chicken, but feel free to mix it up with whatever takes your fancy. The cooking remains much the same regardless of flavourings.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 376kcal
Ingredients
- 3.5 lb whole chicken partially deboned as per the method in post, to give a cooking weight of around 1.5kg/3.3lb
- 2 whole lemons sliced into 2.5cm (1in) rounds
- 2 heads garlic halved crosswise (no need to peel or seperate the cloves)
- 2-3 sprigs rosemary and thyme
- 3 tbs butter very soft. Olive oil is fine if that's your preference, though butter makes for the most glorious lemony sauce
- 1.5 tsp flaky salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 430°F/220°C, combination steam setting. If your oven has variable steam settings, choose 30% (if not, don't worry! Just choose combi steam and the oven will figure out the humidity level for you).
- Spread the sliced lemons, garlic and herbs over the base of a baking tray (I prefer my lightweight stainless steel pans for quick heat conduction and easy clean-up).
- Season the flesh of the chicken with just a little salt, then turn it skin side up and lay it over the seasonings in the tray. Tuck in the wing tips and make sure the drumsticks are splayed outwards (see photos).
- Pat the skin of the chicken dry with paper towel, then dot the entire surface with the soft butter. Season well with salt.
- Put the tray in the preheated oven until the chicken is cooked through and golden, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to rest in a warm place for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving. Discard the seasonings, but keep the precious cooking juices – you can reduce them down and thicken to make a gravy, or (my preference) just serve with the chicken as a buttery lemon-scented sauce.
Notes
Time-wise, if your chicken is significantly smaller or larger than the weight I’ve given, adjust your cooking time down or up to suit. The easiest way to tell if it’s done is with a probe thermometer - a good instant-read thermometer is invaluable, especially if your steam oven doesn’t have a meat probe accessory. The cooked temperature should read 74-75°C (164-167°F) in the thickest part of the thigh joint. Make sure the probe is touching meat, not bone, as that’ll throw off your reading.
Nutrition
Serving: 195g | Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 738mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Vitamin C: 24.2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1.6mg