Garlic Thyme Pot Roasted Chicken

Pot roasting is fantastic and requires little preparation. This recipe takes about ten minutes to prepare, 2 1/4 hours to cook, the cold meat stays moist and the left over stock can be used in risotto. The fat will rise to the top when refrigerated and the stock should keep for at least a week. This recipe is largely inspired by a Donna Hay recipe but I have included it here as I think the stock from this chicken is the business for risotto.

1.5 kg whole chicken
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
1 handful of thyme
1 lemon (skewer the skin a few times)
6 potatoes washed and quartered
1 onion halved the sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup stock

Put half of the thyme, a few garlic cloves and the lemon in the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs with string. Place the chicken and the rest of the ingredients into a fitting casserole dish, season with salt and pepper and put into a pre-heated oven (150C) with the lid on for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid, add some veg if you wish then continue cooking for a further 45 mins.