Roast Chicken with Bread Sauce
A simple lemon-and-thyme roast chicken with the very British side of creamy, clove-scented bread sauce.
AI assistance: the introduction, ingredient list, method, tips and FAQ on this page were drafted with an AI writing tool, working from long-established traditional methods. Named editor who reviewed it: owner to supply How we work
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 20 min
- Total
- 1 hr 55 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Course
- Main
- Cuisine
- English
Roast chicken is the most popular Sunday roast in Britain. Bread sauce is its traditional partner: milk infused with onion, cloves and bay, thickened with fresh breadcrumbs. It is often only made at Christmas, but it is just as good on any Sunday.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 whole chicken, about 1.6 kg
- 30 g soft butter
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 small bunch of thyme
- salt and ground black pepper
Bread sauce
- 500 ml whole milk
- 1 onion, peeled and studded with 6 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 black peppercorns
- 90 g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 25 g butter
- 2 tbsp double cream, optional
- freshly grated nutmeg
Equipment
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- Large roasting tinHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Small saucepanHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
Method
Chicken
- 1
Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / gas 6.
- 2
Put the lemon halves and thyme inside the chicken. Sit it in a roasting tin, rub the butter over the breast and legs and season well.
- 3
Roast for about 1 hour 20 minutes (roughly 20 minutes per 450 g plus 20 minutes), basting once or twice. It is done when the juices run clear, with no pink, when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh, and a meat thermometer there reads 75°C.
- 4
Rest the chicken, loosely covered with foil, for 15–20 minutes before carving. Use the pan juices for gravy.
Bread sauce
- 1
Put the milk, clove-studded onion, bay leaf and peppercorns in a saucepan. Bring just to the boil, then take off the heat and leave to infuse for at least 30 minutes while the chicken roasts.
- 2
Strain the milk and return it to the pan. Stir in the breadcrumbs and simmer gently for 3–5 minutes, stirring, until thick. Stir in the butter, cream and a good grating of nutmeg, and season with salt.
Photo: ElinorD via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
Tips
Make the breadcrumbs from day-old white bread with the crusts cut off. They freeze well, so it is worth making extra.
Serve with roast potatoes and gravy in a warm gravy boat. A meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of when the chicken is done.
If it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dry breast meat | Overcooked | Check the thigh temperature early; rest before carving |
| Pale skin | Oven too cool or skin wet | Pat the skin dry before buttering; roast at the full temperature |
| Bread sauce too thick | Too many crumbs, or it stood too long | Loosen with a splash of hot milk |
Frequently asked questions
How do I know the chicken is cooked?
Pierce the thickest part of the thigh: the juices should run clear and there should be no pink meat. The Food Standards Agency advises the middle reaching 70°C for 2 minutes; 75°C for 30 seconds is an equivalent combination.
Can I make bread sauce ahead?
Yes. Make it up to a day ahead, cover and chill, then reheat gently with a splash of milk.
Should I wash the chicken first?
No. Washing raw chicken spreads bacteria around the sink; cooking it properly kills them.
Sources
- Cooking your food, Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK), 18 December 2017. Checked 1 October 2026.
Guides for this recipe
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Card photos: A white food processor with a clear bowl and feed tube, Donovan Govan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; A traditional black cast-iron kitchen range, Wehha via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; Potatoes with rosemary in a roasting tin, ready for the oven, Chris Olszewski via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; Copper pans and a kettle on an old kitchen range, Silar via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; A small stainless steel saucepan with a lid, Cooks & Kitchens from Darlington, UK via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped; A steak and ale pie served with gravy, broccoli and carrot, Andy Li via Wikimedia Commons, CC0; A golden, crimped Cornish pasty on a plate, David Johnson [1] via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; Roast pork and crackling with roast potatoes, parsnips and peas, CharmaineZoe's Marvelous Melange from England via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped. All credits: image credits.