Juicy Roast Capon Chicken Recipe (With Gravy)
Roast a capon chicken for a special occasion dinner that feeds a crowd. Including top tips on roasting capon plus a gravy recipe, too.
Equipment
Ingredients
Roast capon
- 4 kg Capon chicken (allow 0.5kg or 1 pound per person)
- 1 Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Lemon
- 2 tablespoon Fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Butter
Capon gravy
- 2 tablespoon Unsalted butter (plus extra at the end)
- 2 tablespoon All-purpose flour (or plain flour)
- 150 ml Red wine
- 500 ml Meat juices or chicken stock (or low sodium broth)
Instructions
Roast capon
- Preheat the oven to 160C/325F (no fan) and prepare a roasting tray with a piece of lightly greased baking parchment paper on top of it.
- Remove the bag of giblets from the bird's cavity (if there are any) and snip the ties if the capon is trussed. Quarter the onion and lemon, and place them inside the bird with the garlic cloves and thyme.
- Rub the olive oil all over the bird and season generously with salt and cracked black pepper. Turn the bird upside down and place it onto the parchment paper on the roasting pan. Oil and season the underside, too.
- Roast the capon for 3-4 hours, starting upside down for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, flip the bird the right way up, peel off the parchment paper, and drain off some of the juices into a jug. Return to the oven and roast for another hour.
- Flip the capon upside down again, replacing the parchment paper under the breast. Drain off more of the meat juices. Roast for another hour.
- Flip the bird the right way up and peel off the parchment paper. Take the internal temperature with a meat thermometer to see where you are. The goal is 74C/165F. The likelihood is you will need 30-45 minutes more in the oven, but be led by meat temperature, not time.
- Roast the capon for a further 30-45 minutes,
- Take the capon from the oven, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Place it on a carving board or serving platter, and cover it with aluminum foil. Then, drape several tea towels over the top and tuck them around it to keep the bird warm.
- Carve and serve the capon chicken once it has rested.
Capon gravy
- Deglaze the roasting pan with the wine and scrape off the pan drippings.
- Add the butter to a saucepan, and when it is bubbling, whisk in the flour to make a paste.
- Whisk in the wine and pan drippings, then add the meat juices (strain off the fat) and/or chicken stock and bring to a gentle boil for 10-15 minutes to cook off the flour and alcohol and allow it to thicken.
- For a smooth, glossy gravy, strain it and then whisk in a few small cubes of very cold butter before serving.
Notes
The general rule is to cook the bird for 25 minutes per pound / half a kilo, plus an extra 25 minutes. Do not skip the resting time; it is essential for a juicy, tender capon.
Using parchment paper stops the skin of the capon breast from sticking to the roasting tray when we flip it over.
Flipping the bird over prevents the need for basting and keeps the bird juicy.
Cover each of the legs with a small piece of foil if they are browning too fast. You can cover the breast section, too, if needed, but always use individual pieces of foil for each part of the bird. Do not tent the whole bird inside one big piece of foil.
To really crisp up the skin, take it out of the oven and rub butter over it before placing it back in for the final 10 minutes.
Always use a meat thermometer to ensure your bird is cooked thoroughly to 74C/165F. Insert it into the thickest part of the bird next to where the breast meets the leg.
Nutrition
Calories: 601kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 46gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 192mgPotassium: 591mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 514IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 3mg
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