Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay has revealed an unexpected but simple way to elevate your next roast chicken, making it more juicy and flavourful.
In a recent recipe demonstration, Ramsay shared an easy but often overlooked way of getting your chicken to be much more flavourful. The secret is simply to use a binder to hold your seasoning to the chicken skin instead of sliding right off as it cooks. Gordon said that brushing the skin of the chicken with whisked egg yolk before roasting does more than give it a beautiful golden finish, it also helps a seasoning blend stick evenly to the skin, locking in layers of flavour.
He said: “Crack open an egg, whisk it up, and gently brush the chicken with the egg. The labour of love is at the beginning. Treat this bird with respect, and trust me, it’ll come back tenfold.”
While the egg yolk trick is the moneymaker, Ramsay also stressed proper technique to ensure a perfect roast.
He recommends trussing the bird, tying the legs and wings tightly to the body, to help it cook evenly and prevent the extremities from drying out or browning too quickly.
Placing the chicken on a rack or grate in the centre of the oven allows for even heat circulation, helping the bird roast uniformly.
If the skin begins to brown too quickly, tenting the chicken with foil for about 10 minutes can prevent burning without interrupting the cooking process.
And, as with any roast meat, letting the chicken rest after cooking is essential, slicing too soon causes juices to run out, leaving the meat dry.
Presenting a perfectly cooked juicy roast chicken, he added: “Now just have a look at those juices. There’s no chef in the world that can make juices like that without roasting the chicken this way.
“Let it rest, once that’s rested, lift that up, and drain off any of that juice. That’s the money.”
Though the advice is straightforward, Ramsay’s signature approach elevates the familiar roast chicken into something special, making a crispy-skinned, deeply flavorful, and perfectly juicy.
