Stokes Sauces: Chicken - the free range favourite

Chicken - our most versatile favourite.

Chicken is the free range favourite in our family and we firmly believe it's the best - not only for the welfare of the birds but for the consumer too. You only have to compare a breast joint of each to see that you get more meat for your buck and more flavour for your pound from a naturally reared bird that has enjoyed the best animal husbandry.

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/ketchup-and-sauces

Rick @stokessauces and family actively rescue 'retired' battery hens - amongst other things: Bennett wallabies, rheas, ducks, geese, goats, sheep and pigs.

Unfortunately our birds don't lay enough eggs to use commercially, but breakfasts are great. The eggs we do use in Stokes Real Mayonnaise though are certainly free range and British.

Delicious Roast Chicken

Every household has its own preferred roasting routines. Sometimes, granny really does know best - tray, trivet, bird, oven ... yummy.

A very simply way to boost the 'levels of yummy' is to stuff the cavity with a handful of juicy grapes and an orange (skin on) cut into quarters.

The zesty sweet fruit adds to the chicken's juices for a wonderful gravy base.

Drain all the cooked bird's juices into the roasting tray with a tablespoon of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard, de-glaze the tray, add additional chicken stock and reduce.

For a thicker (proper) gravy, add flour and mustard to the juices to make a roux. Pour in a good glass of dry cider and chicken stock then stir to the flavour and consistency your family prefers.

Tasty Trivets

The next level of yummy uses fruit and veg as the trivet.

We use three of four sticks of celery, a couple of leeks and carrots cut lengthways in half, a sliced onion, sliced fennel bulb and wedges of orange.

Pour boiled water into the tray (just below the vegetables) and place your chicken on top.

TIP: If you are in a hurry or have a smaller bird, spatchcock it first.

The chicken will roast whilst the steam from the trivet retains its moisture and adds flavour.

Once cooked until its juices run clear (check this from the thigh joints which take the longest to cook) set it aside, add chicken stock to cover the remaining trivet of fruit & veg and simmer.

In a separate pan, make a roux, add a teaspoon of Stokes Creamed Horseradish, two teaspoons of Stokes Redcurrant Jelly and two teaspoons of Stokes Classic English Mustard. - adjust the volumes to make it hotter or sweeter to taste.

Yummier still

For the final level of yummy, take the cooked onion slices, fennel and some of the celery from the roasting tray, pop them into the simmering gravy and blitz with a hand blender.

You can create umami within the flavour combination by adding a concentration of sweet Italian tomatoes in the form of Stokes Tomato Ketchup - one glug and it's heavenly.

Finally ... to truly coat your slices of roast chicken with glorious gravy, instead of the umami of our Award-Winning Tomato Ketchup, try Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup for that final dash of 'wonderful'.

Here's a tweet from @PorscheSauce who recently discovered this particular 'joy of taste'.