Bistro Roast Chicken
Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced (I used 1 teaspoon of dried thyme instead.)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4 1⁄2-pound) roasting chicken
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375*F and combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Rub herb mixture under loosened skin and over breast and drumsticks. Place chicken, breast side down, on rack of a broiler pan or shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan.
4. Bake chicken at 375*F for 40 minutes. Carefully turn chicken over (breast side up). Bake an additional 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in meaty part of thigh registers 165*F. Place chicken on a cutting board; let stand 10 minutes before carving.
Comments
I’m not sure why I don’t roast chickens more often, since they’re very simple, moist, and tasty. I think I didn’t roast them for a long time since Art only likes white meat and I didn’t want to be the only one eating the dark meat. Lance, however, loves both so it’s much more feasible to roast whole birds now! (Not to mention, Art has grown less picky over time.) I found this recipe in the 2009 Cooking Light Annual; it looked like it had good flavors, so I decided to make it.
It was fantastic! Super flavorful due to the herb rub, extremely tender, and just about perfect.
Shown here with Fresh Lemon Rice.
Cooking Light 2009