Cooking Light Magazine ran a feature in their October 2013 issue highlighting their 25 Favorite Recipes. I'm sure that eventually I'll end up cooking them all, but I started with this super flavorful and EASY roast chicken. Of course, there are as many ways to roast a chicken as there are cooks. Some recipes call for little more than salt and pepper seasoning on the bird, others for elaborate stuffing, seasoning, and glazes. This roast falls somewhere in-between.
A simple blend of aromatic herbs and mustard slipped under the skin prior to roasting elevate this bird to classic status with hardly any effort at all. The trick of flipping the bird halfway through roasting assures even cooking and juicy, tender breast meat. As good as this chicken tastes, you may find yourself making it again and again just for the aroma that permeates your home while it's cooking. This is one of those dishes that is so fragrant while in the oven that you'll find folks creeping into the kitchen from all corners of the house inquiring "how long till dinner?"
Firing up one of these birds is like taking a quick trip to the French countryside, only a whole lot cheaper!
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons minced, fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon minced, fresh thyme
- 4 teaspoons butter, melted
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 - 4 1/2 pound roasting chicken
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375℉.
- Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.
- Remove giblets and neck from chicken; discard. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between the skin and the flesh. Rub the herb mixture under loosened skin and over breasts and drumsticks. Tie legs together with cooking twine. Lift wing tips up and over back and tuck under the chicken. Place the chicken breast side down, on the rack of a broiler pan or shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan.
- Bake chicken at 375℉ for 40 minutes. Carefully turn chicken over (breast side up). Bake an additional 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh registers 165℉. Place the chicken on a cutting board; let stand 10 minutes before carving.