Is there anything more "Ina Garten" than ROAST CHICKEN? Those of us who love her easy-going attitude and deliciously made dishes know that she makes a roast chicken almost every Friday for Jeffrey, her husband. And her chickens are legendary!
I don't have a Jeffrey (or a television show, published cookbooks, house in the Hamptons...) but I do have a Bobby who loves the way I cook, and love roast chicken.
Ina's Perfect Chicken is her signature recipe! I wanted to make it in homage to our favorite Food Netwook star... BUT I just had to put a little bit of StoneGable magic into the recipe.
Ina stuffs the cavity of her chickens with all sorts of aromatic bits and herbs. I know this is absolutely gilding the lily, but I am also taking those wonderful flavor infused elements and making a compound butter to slide under the skin of the chicken breasts as well. Compound butters are easy to make and absolutely delicious! For a tutorial about compound butter click HERE.
The result is a chicken with gorgeous golden tasty skin, succulent meat, served along with fork tender and slightly caramelized veggies. And your house will smell fabulous! And why only roast 1 chicken when you can roast 2? I love to have the extra chicken for lunch, and I'll use it again in Sunday's meal~ Chicken Chili.
I hope you will try this Barefoot Contessa meets StoneGable roast chicken, so you can also say, "How easy is that?"
PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN
(4-5 pound) roasting chicken
salt and pepper, kosher if possible
2 bunches fresh thyme
1 bunch parsley
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
3 sage leaves
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced
16 baby carrots, or 4 large carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup chicken stock
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees .
Compound Butter:
Put room temperature butter in a bowl. Add 2 finely minced garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp lemon zest to butter.
Add lemon juice.
Add lemon juice.
Chop 2 TBS parsley, 1 tsp thyme and 1 small sage leaf and add to the bowl. Mix well.
Form butter into a ball. Reserve.
For Vegetables:
In a large bowl combine carrots, onions, 10 sprigs of thyme. 2 TBS chopped parsley, salt , pepper and olive oil. Toss. Reserve.
Remove giblet packet from chicken. Rinse chicken inside and out and pat-dry the outside of the chicken with a paper towel. Salt and pepper inside of chicken.
Stuff the chicken cavity with 1/2 of the garlic, 1/2 of the lemon, a handful of parsley, 6-8 sprigs of thyme, a fresh bay leaf and a sage leaf.
Separate the skin from the flesh of the chicken breast, making a pocket. Put 1 TBS compound butter under each breast. Press butter until evenly distributed. Using your fingers rub extra compound butter into the skin of the chicken.
Tie the legs and tuck the wings underneath the chicken. Put the chicken in a roasting pan. Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken.
Place the veggies around the chickens and add 1/2 ~1 cup of chicken stock to the pan.
Roast for 1 1/2 hours until juices run clear. Remove chicken to a platter along with the veggies and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with veggies. Remember to save the carcass for stock!
Remember to
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