Roast Chicken with Five Spice Gravy

Preheat your oven to 240°C (460°F). Place the chicken, breast side down, on a work surface. Use kitchen scissors to cut along both sides of the backbone and remove. Turn chicken over and use your hands to press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten.

Pat the whole bird dry with paper towel, then season liberally all over with sea salt, ensuring you rub it into the skin. (If you can leave your bird to salt overnight, it will be even better. But continue on if you’re short on time.)

Using a pastry brush, brush the mayonnaise all over the chicken. Use kitchen string to tie the chicken legs together.

Place a nest of rosemary in the centre of a carbon steel pan or roasting tin. Nestle in your onion pieces. Place your basted bird on top of your makeshift ‘trivet’, then transfer the tin to the oven. Roast the chicken until the internal temp is 75°C or 165°F – the juices should run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh meat with a knife or skewer. (Make sure you use a meat thermometer – our chicken took roughly one hour.) Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board to rest for 10-20 minutes.

While the chicken is resting, remove the pan juices, onion and rosemary from the roasting pan and set aside. Place the pan over a medium-high heat on your stovetop, add the butter and wait for it to start foaming. Whisk in the Chinese five spice, then whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.

Now slowly whisk in the chicken stock, bit by bit, whisking constantly until smooth and glossy. Allow the gravy to simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken slightly. Add the soy sauce. Next, add the pan juices you reserved from earlier back into the gravy. Taste to check seasoning, and add extra soy sauce or salt to taste.

Cut the chicken into portions and serve with the five spice gravy.