Roasted Chicken With Fresh Herb Compound Butter Recipes

GARLIC HERB BUTTER ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 430°F | 220°C (400°F or 200°C fan forced). Line a baking tray with foil, or lightly grease a roasting pan.
• Discard neck from inside the cavity and remove any excess fat and leftover feathers. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Pour the olive oil, melted butter, wine (if using) and the juice of half a lemon over the chicken, under the skin and inside the cavity. Season chicken liberally on the outside and inside the cavity with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the parsley.
• Rub the minced garlic over the chicken, mixing all ingredients together over the chicken and under the skin.
• Stuff the garlic head into the chicken cavity along with the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halve. Tie legs together with kitchen string.
• Place breast-side up into baking tray or roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes, basting half way through cooking time, until juices run clear when chicken thigh is pierced with a skewer.
• Baste again, then broil for a further 2-3 minutes, until golden.
• Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve, drizzled with pan juices and remaining lemon half cut into wedges or slices.

BUTTER-HERB ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.
• In small bowl, mix butter, chopped thyme, sage, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Rub mixture under and on skin of chicken. Place chicken, breast side up, in roasting pan. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone.
• In large bowl, toss carrots, potatoes and onions with oil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Arrange vegetables around chicken. Pour broth over vegetables.
• Roast uncovered 1 hour 15 minutes or until thermometer reads at least 165°F and legs move easily when lifted or twisted. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 10 to 15 minutes for easier carving. Serve chicken with vegetables.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC-HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• The day before roasting, combine butter in a bowl with zest of one lemon (reserving the lemon), garlic, chives, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Dry the chicken with paper towels and place on a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Season chicken with salt and pepper, inside and out. Using your fingers, gently release the skin from the breast on either side of the breast bone. Place a heaping tablespoon of the compound butter under the skin on each side and smooth down to coat each breast. Do the same at the other end, where the thigh joins the open cavity. Distribute the remaining butter on each side under the leg skin. Place chicken in the refrigerator, uncovered, to allow the skin to dry.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Roughly chop the celery, onion, and carrot and place inside the chicken cavity, along with leftover herb stems and half the zested lemon. Cut the baguette to approximately the length of the chicken and place, open-faced, on a rimmed baking sheet. Lay the chicken on top of it. Pour water or chicken stock in the pan so the bread doesn't burn. Bake, 10-12 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, chicken will begin to brown. Add more water or stock to the pan if the bread looks too dark. Reduce oven temp to 400 F and continue cooking, 35-55 minutes, depending on chicken size. (Final internal temperature should be 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the thigh.)
• Test the chicken for doneness by sticking a knife into the thickest part of the thigh-the juices should run clear (i.e., not pink). When done, remove from oven and let the chicken rest 5 minutes before carving. To carve, first remove the wings. Next, cut the skin close to the leg, then cut from the back and follow the bone along the joint and remove the leg. Remove the breasts by cutting down the middle, following the bone (save the rest of the chicken carcass for stock). Cut the baguette into four pieces and serve with the cut chicken on top.