Simple Roast Chicken

You can buy a small chicken for £4.50, and you get a lot more meat for your money than if you bought the components separately. I cooked this for my Sunday lunch:

Taken on my laptop's webcam...

Ingredients:

1 small chicken (cooks in 70 mins)

Olive oil

Salt

Rosemary (optional)

Lemon (optional)

2tbsp plain flour

About 200ml chicken stock/ white wine/ combination

Serves 4

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. If using the lemon, put it in water abd boil it for 5 mins

2) Put the chicken in a roasting tin, and rub the rosemary and salt into the skin

3) Use a sharp knife to make some holes in the lemon, and stick it up the chicken

4) Pour the oil over the top

5) Put in the oven, and baste every 30mins

6) Remove from the oven, transfer to a warmed plate and fish out the lemon. Cover the chicken with foil

7) While the chicken is resting, tilt the roasting tin so that 2 layers form: the oil is on top and the chicken juices below. Use a spoon to remove most of the oil (you can keep it in a jar in the fridge for another day if you like)

8) Heat the tin on the hob and add the flour. Start mixing it round

9) Pour in the liquid and continue to heat for 10 mins

10) Carve the chicken whilst the sauce is heating

11) Transfer the sauce to a jug and serve

Budget:

Chicken = £4.50

Oil = 5p

Salt = 2p

Flour = 5p

Liquid = 20p

Total = £4.82, £1.21/ person

* If you are serving with other vegetables (potatos, carrots, parnsips), put them in 30mins before the chicken is finished cooking

* If cooking for one, you can carve up the rest of the chicken and use the leftovers in other recipes