There's nothing quite like a Sunday roast to bring family together. This is a simple roasted chicken recipe that is full of flavour and the whole family will love. You may even have some serves left over to meal prep for the week ahead!

Makes around 5-8 serves depending on the size of the chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 raw whole chicken, giblets removed
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1-2 lemons, quartered (peel left on)
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 5 potatoes or kumara
• 4 carrots
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp dried or a small handful fresh thyme, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil or rice bran oil spray (can use regular olive oil)

Method

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel then rub salt and pepper all over it into the skin. Spray with a little oil spray or rub in oil as well.

Combine garlic and thyme in a bowl, add a bit of salt, squeeze each lemon quarter a little into the bowl then mix to combine. Use a spoon to stuff mixture into the chicken, then use kitchen twine/string to truss the chicken (tie the legs together to help keep the cavity closed).

Place chicken in the middle of a large roasting dish faced down and cook for 45 minutes. Skin will be starting to turn slightly golden after this.

While the chicken is cooking, cut potatoes and/or kumara, and carrots into big chunks. Spray or toss through olive oil.

Once the 45 minutes is up, remove chicken from oven, slide it to the side in the tray and place a heaped pile of the onion and rosemary sprigs in the centre. Carefully put the chicken on top of of the onions and rosemary, then add the potatoes, kumara and carrot into the roasting dish around the chicken.

Roast for another 45 minutes. Keep an eye on the chicken towards the end of this, if the skin begins to burn, cover the roasting dish with tinfoil.

Once it's cooked, put the chicken onto a wooden board or dish and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes (if you used tinfoil, keep it over the top of the chicken during this).

If you're aiming for a healthier meal, remove the skin prior to dishing up. Serve with coleslaw or steamed corn and peas.

Image / NZ Real Health