Recipes: Quick Roast Chicken in Cider & Honey Mustard

Sometimes you fancy a roast chicken, but don’t want to hang around for two hours whilst it cooks. This Quick Roast Chicken in Cider and Honey Mustard is done in an hour and is really simple to do.

You Will Need:

1 Large spatchcocked (cut in half) chicken (Most supermarkets sell spatchcocked chickens, otherwise your butcher will do it for you, no problem)

2 cups of good quality english cider (don’t use the flavoured variety here, as you can’t always predict the results)

2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp of honey

2 sprigs of thyme, finely chopped

1 chicken stock cube

salt and pepper

NOTE: If you haven’t got a spatchcocked chicken, you can use a whole chicken. Just double the cooking time, and cover with foil for the first hour.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees (gas mark 7)

Place your chicken in a good sized roasting tray. Mix 1 tbsp of mustard, 1 tbsp of honey, the chicken stock cube and the thyme thoroughly in a cup, and pour over the chicken. Use your hands to massage into the meat all over properly. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the top, then pour the cider around the edge and a little over the top of the chicken.

Cook in the oven for 1 hour, basting (using a spoon to catch the juices in the roasting tray) all over at 40 mins and 50 mins.

Remove from the oven, baste again then serve.