Herb Roasted Chicken

Roast Chicken is at least a once a month meal for my family.  And tonight, I’m doing a herb roasted chicken, which is simple and back a ton of flavor.  While I’m using thyme and rosemary as the primary herbs,  you can use just about any fresh green herbs that you like.  I finely chop them, add some butter to make a paste, and then rub that herb butter under the chicken skin.  As the chicken roasts, the flavors of the butter and herbs seep into the meat, making the chicken moist and delicious.  Hope you enjoy it!

Recipe Overview and Keys to Success

To make the best Herb Roasted Chicken, try to make sure to do the following:

1. You really need to use fresh herbs for this roast chicken.  Anything that comes dry in a bottle..leave in the store
2. If you have time, brine the chicken.  That will add moisture and flavor, and give  you a bit of a safety net if you over cook a bit
3. Bring the chicken up to room temperature before you put into the oven
4. Roast the chicken on high heat – about 450 degrees.  That will help ensure the skin gets nice and browned with less chance of over cooking the meat
5. For the best results use a meat thermometer, bring the thickest part of the thigh up to 160 degrees, and allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes out of the oven

• One whole chicken
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
• 3 tablespoons butter

• Take the chicken out of the fridge about 45 minutes before cooking and allow it to come up to temperature, unwrapped to help dry the skin
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and while it heats chop the herbs
• Mix the herbs with 2 tablespoons of the butter (reserving one tablespoon for the sauce)
• Use your fingers to separate the skin over the chicken breasts from the meat, and smear half of the herb butter all over the breast meat
• Use the remaining herb butter to coat the outside of the legs, thighs, and wings
• Season the whole chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and transfer to a roast pan
• Insert your oven proof meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken thigh and move it into the oven to roast
• Roast for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the thigh meat registers 160, remove from the oven
• Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board
• While the chicken rests, remove any excess fat from the roasting pan, reserving any of the natural juices that have rendered out
• Put the roasting pan on the stove over high heat, and deglaze with the white wine, reduce by half
• Add the chicken stock and again reduce by half
• Turn off the heat, and add the remaining butter, stirring it in to thicken the sauce
• Carve the chicken and serve with a drizzle of the pan sauce over the top, or on the side

While I’m frequently prefer a lighter red wine with a roast chicken, for an herb roasted chicken, I prefer New Zealand sauvignon blancs.  These wines are typically very light and crisp, go very well with food, and have a great grassy quality that I think matches the herbs in the chicken.