Slow cooker roast chicken with lemon butter Brussels sprouts

Method

• Step 1
  Place the whole chicken into the slow cooker with the wings tucked in. Place a tablespoon of butter on top. Place on the lid and put the slow cooker onto slow. You do not need to add any liquid. Allow it to cook for around 8 hours. The time taken will depend on your slow cooker and its settings.
• Step 2
  Remove the chicken carefully with a large pair of tongs. Slow-cooked chicken is much softer than oven roast meat, and it is easy to fall apart. Have a metal tray close and ready to catch the chicken.
• Step 3
  The roast chicken is ready to eat after you take it out of the slow cooker, but it will look white rather than browned. To crisp the chicken skin, place the chicken under the grill in the oven until it is brown – around 10 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure it doesn’t burn.
• Step 4
  Now start the gravy, The slow-cooked chicken will produce around a cup – or even more – of liquid. Pour this liquid into a small saucepan.
• Step 5
  In a small bowl, mix the plain flour with a few spoons of water until smooth. Gradually add in some chicken liquid while stirring. Spoon the flour and water mixture back into the chicken liquid in the saucepan slowly, stirring after each spoonful. The object is to ensure the gravy is smooth rather than lumpy.
• Step 6
  Add in a teaspoon of chicken stock powder. Cook on a medium heat for around five minutes until it thickens, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
• Step 7
  To make the Brussels sprouts, begin by frying them in butter.
• Step 8
  Add one tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring cup, and fill to ½ a cup with water. Pour over the Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle on some salt, and then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook on a medium heat for around five minutes. Serve with the chicken and gravy.