In this busy life where both parents often work full time, there are roles in the home that seemed to have stayed the same. A recent survey of NZ women shows that in most Kiwi homes it is the woman that assumes the cooking responsibilities so while Dad will undoubtedly have his share of household chores, it is generally Mum that comes in and cooks the family meal each night.
But what if that changed a little and Dad became involved? Interestingly enough the survey shows that if the man in the house decided to give mum the night off and he cooked for a change then that action in the kitchen could lead to more attention in the bedroom… Or putting it plainly as Jamie Oliver does, you are more likely to “get laid”. Oliver goes even further to say that their conquests would even be of “better quality” if they could woo them with a delicious dinner.
While this is all well and good it can be intimidating for someone to all of a sudden start cooking a family meal, particularly when they haven’t been taught how.
When the survey asked what would be a good start and something that partners believed their man could conquer, 84% of respondents said a roast chicken.
A chicken roast is a delicious fail-safe dinner that is easy to achieve success with, it looks great, is popular with kids and let’s face it, men like roasts so are more likely to cook one!
Cooking a roast chicken to perfection is easy. All that is involved is reading the packaging and following the instructions of oven temperature and time. The vegetables (or salad) and trimmings are up to you. There may even be some leftovers for sandwiches the next day.
So while we know a chicken roast is fail-safe, we thought we would make it even easier by providing 3 variations on the same recipe for a family friendly roast chicken dinner in the hope that there will be smiles all round!
Perfect Roast Chicken Dinner
1 x size 16 Tegel chicken (without stuffing)
½ lemon, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, sliced in half
2-3 medium sized floury potatoes (e.g. Agria)
1 kumara
300g pumpkin
1 ½ cups frozen peas
1 small head broccoli, chopped into florets
Packet chicken gravy mix
Serves 4-5
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (bake setting) and at the same time get the chicken from the fridge. Remove the chicken from its bag, (this is best done over the sink), pat it dry with paper towels and then place the chicken in a roasting tin and rub all over with oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and pop the lemon and garlic into the cavity.
2. When the oven is heated, place the chicken in (middle shelf or slightly lower) and cook for 1 ½ hours or until juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.
3. Once the chicken has been in the oven for 45 minutes, peel and chop the potatoes. Rinse them and pat dry. Place the potatoes around the chicken and continue to cook.
4. Peel and chop the kumara and chop the pumpkin into wedges. Give the potatoes 15 minutes head start before adding these to the pan as well. Make sure the vegetables are in a single layer and turn them a couple of times during cooking.
5. Once the chicken is cooked transfer it to a serving plate, cover loosely with foil and allow to sit 10 minutes before carving. Let the roasting vegetables continue to cook or if they are already tender then transfer them to a oven proof dish, turn the oven off and place the dish in the oven until you are ready.
6. Bring two small saucepans of water to the boil and cook peas and broccoli for a few minutes each.
7. Make 1 cup of gravy according to the packet instructions. You can use pan juices and/or vegetable cooking water to make the gravy if you like.
8. Serve the chicken with the roasted vegetables, peas, broccoli and a jug of gravy.
Roast Chicken in a Bag
This is no mess approach to roast chicken makes it a favourite for those doing the dishes!
1 x Tegel Ready to Roast Chicken
2-3 medium sized floury potatoes (e.g. Agria)
1 kumara
300g pumpkin
1 ½ cups frozen peas
1 small head broccoli chopped into florets
Packet chicken gravy mix
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and at the same time get the chicken from the fridge. Remove the chicken from the outer bag (over a sink is best in case there is any escaped liquid) and place the inner bag with chicken in a roasting dish with the breast facing up. There is a steam vent in the bag which needs to be facing upwards.
2. Once the chicken has been in the oven for 45 minutes, peel and chop the potatoes. Rinse them and pat dry. Pour a little neutral flavoured oil into the pan (rice bran is good) and place the potatoes in a single layer around the chicken and continue to cook.
4. Peel and chop the kumara and chop the pumpkin into wedges. Give the potatoes 15 minutes head start before adding these to the pan as well. Turn the vegetables a couple of times during cooking.
5. Once the chicken is cooked transfer it to a serving plate, and allow to sit for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the bag and carving. Let the roasting vegetables continue to cook or if they are already tender then transfer them to an oven proof dish, turn the oven off and place the dish in the oven until you are ready.
6. Bring two small saucepans of water to the boil and cook peas and broccoli for a few minutes each.
7. Make 1 cup of gravy according to the packet instructions. You can use pan juices and/or vegetable cooking water to make the gravy if you like.
8. Serve the chicken with the roasted vegetables, peas, broccoli and a jug of gravy.
Serves 4-5.
Slow Cooker Roast Chicken
1 x Tegel size 16 Chicken
½ lemon, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, sliced in half
2-3 medium sized floury potatoes (e.g. Agria)
1 kumara
300g pumpkin
1 ½ cups frozen peas
1 small head broccoli chopped into florets
Packet chicken gravy mix
1. Remove the chicken from its bag, (this is best done over the sink), pat it dry with paper towels, place the lemon and garlic in its cavity, rub the skin with a little oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken in a slow cooker. Cook on slow for 6 hours* (3 hours on high).
2. An hour before you plan to eat, preheat the oven to 200°C, peel and chop the potatoes, rinse and pat them dry. Pour a little neutral flavoured oil into the pan (rice bran is good) and arrange the potatoes in a single layer and pop the tray into the middle shelf of the oven.
3. Peel and chop the kumara and chop the pumpkin into wedges. Give the potatoes 15 minutes head start before adding these to the pan as well. Turn the vegetables a couple of times during cooking.
4. Once the chicken is cooked transfer it to an ovenproof dish. Set the cooked roasted vegetables aside and cover lightly with foil to keep them warm.
Change the oven setting to grill, brush the chicken with a little more oil. Place the chicken in the middle of the oven, breast side up and grill until golden.
5. While the chicken is under the grill bring two small saucepans of water to the boil and cook peas and broccoli for a few minutes each.
6. Make 1 cup of gravy according to the packet instructions. You can use pan juices and/or vegetable cooking water to make the gravy if you like.
7. Serve the chicken with the roasted vegetables, peas, broccoli and a jug of gravy.
*Slow cookers vary in their heat and therefore cooking times. Check to see if the chicken is cooked by sliding a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. The juices need to be clear, not pink. If there is any sign of colour then keep cooking.
Serves 4-5.
“Men need to learn that seeing your man in the kitchen is sexy and if your partner gets a break from cooking, they are more likely to get attention.” Survey comment
“A man who can cook appears competent and capable – two very attractive qualities.”
The survey commissioned by Tegel canvassed the views of 1700 NZ women.
Your style is unique in comparison to other people I’ve read
stuff from. Thank you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity,
Guess I’ll just book mark this site.
Whole chicken for a family is best in the bag I think – everything is tender. Whereas, if we cook the bird naked and whole, as my mother did, breasts turn out dry, while legs are lovely and moist. So there was the constant fight for the legs in our family. I now cook them seperately, to achieve better texture, and have learn’t to de-bone birds – it’s not difficult with a little practice