Roast Chicken
A Chef Aly Thermomix reinterpretation of Thomas Keller's famous simple roast chicken — golden, juicy, with perfectly crisp skin. Metric ingredients and exact TM6 and TM7 times, temperatures and speeds for Australian home cooks.
Thomas Keller's roast chicken is the dish that proves simplicity wins — just butter, salt, pepper and a hot oven. This Chef Aly Thermomix version makes the compound butter and stuffing in the bowl, then roasts to golden perfection. Fewer ingredients, more flavour.
Ingredients
- 🍗1 whole chicken (about 1.6 kg), giblets removed, patted dry
- 🧂60 g unsalted butter, softened
- 🍋1 lemon, halved
- 🧄4 garlic cloves, 2 left whole and 2 peeled
- 🌿6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 🌿3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 🧅1 brown onion, quartered
- 🥕1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 🥄1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 🧂1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 🫑½ tsp black pepper
- 💧250 g water
Thermomix method
- Preheat oven to 230°C (210°C fan-forced). Place onion, carrot and celery in the bottom of a roasting pan to form a rack.
- Place the 2 peeled garlic cloves and 3 sprigs of thyme in the mixing bowl. Chop 5 sec / speed 7. Scrape down.
- Add the softened butter, ½ tsp sea salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Mix 15 sec / speed 4 until combined into a herb butter.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Gently loosen the skin over the breasts and push two-thirds of the herb butter under the skin, spreading evenly. Rub the remaining butter over the outside of the chicken. Set aside on a plate 5 min / 0°C / speed 0 while you prepare the cavity.
- Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves, 2 whole garlic cloves, remaining thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Set aside 5 min / 0°C / speed 0 to let the butter firm slightly before roasting.
- Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan. Place 250 g water in the mixing bowl and set the Varoma dish on top. This step is for cleaning the bowl only — the chicken roasts in the oven. Roast at 230°C for 15 min / 230°C oven / no speed, then reduce to 190°C.
- Continue roasting at 190°C for 50–60 min / 190°C oven / no speed until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 74°C.
- Remove from oven, rest 15 min / 0°C / no speed (rest at room temperature, not in the Thermomix). Carve and serve with the pan juices.
Aly's tips
- The drier the chicken skin before butter application, the crispier it will be. Pat thoroughly with paper towels.
- Don't skip the 15-minute rest — it redistributes the juices and keeps the breast meat moist.
- The vegetables under the chicken caramelise and make a brilliant quick gravy with the pan juices.
Questions
Can I make Roast Chicken in a Thermomix TM6 or TM7?
The Thermomix prepares the compound herb butter, chops the aromatics and stuffs the cavity. The chicken roasts in a conventional oven for the best crisp skin. Both TM6 and TM7 handle the preparation steps identically.
Can I use a larger chicken?
Yes. For a 2 kg chicken, add 15–20 minutes to the roasting time at 190°C and always check the internal temperature reaches 74°C at the thickest part of the thigh.
Want to cook this in minutes?
Every recipe here is made for the Thermomix. Get yours through me, or message me and I'll help you choose.