Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

Herb-Garlic Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

When it comes to selecting a dish for all things delicious, hearty, comforting and crowd-pleasing, roasted chicken tops the list.  I count it as one of my favorite go-to bites when I’m looking for an unforgettable dish that comes together with ease--and often when I’m hosting dinner guests.

On a recent occasion, I decided to infuse some extra “love” into my recipe by flavoring the chicken with my Herb-Garlic butter.  Starting with my classic preparation of seasoning the cavity and stuffing it with herbs, citrus and aromatics, I then rubbed my compound butter on the skin (and tucked a little away underneath the skin to help the breast meat remain extra moist) before roasting the chicken over a bed of hearty root vegetables.  

And you can probably guess the results.  Within an hour and a half, a beautifully golden, crispy and succulent chicken, with tender root vegetables, emerged from the oven ready to be devoured. 

The next time you’re ready to wow your guests—and your palate—this easy and delicious recipe should top your list as the ultimate crowd pleaser.  

Happy Eating!

Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken (3 to 4 lbs.)
Herb–Garlic compound butter
1 large onion, quartered

1 lemon, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved with skin on
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Root vegetables (parsnips, potatoes, and carrots), peeled and chopped

Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a roasting pan and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper.  Stuff the cavity with onion, lemon, garlic, thyme and rosemary.  Rub the chicken with the herb-garlic butter and gently lift the skin over the breast and tuck butter underneath.  (Be careful not to tear the skin.)  Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.  Tuck the wings under and tie the legs together.

Spread the root vegetables in the roasting pan to form a bed around the chicken.  Place chicken in the preheated oven and roast for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until the juices run clear.  Remove the chicken from the oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 10-20 minutes.  Carve and serve with the vegetables.  Enjoy!

Foodie Vocabulary: Compound Butter

Compound butter is a treasure to me.  Reason being: it can single-handedly elevate a dish's flavor quotient and scrumptiousness, and all that with the same minimal effort it takes to add plain butter to a dish.  Well almost.  But trust me, the additional effort is so slight, you'll have no qualms about "compounding away".

As the name implies, compound butter is plain butter (I typically use unsalted) compounded with additional flavors.  And there's virtually no end to the flavors the creative cook can create.  From blue cheese to herbs and garlic to orange marmalade to chili spices and lime zest, the compound butter frontier knows no bounds.  And it stores like regular butter, so once you make it, you'll have a little treasure awaiting in your fridge whenever you want it--or until you run out.

So the next time you want to spice up that pasta dish or add a zing to some steamed fish or wake up that piece of toast, consider substituting your plain butter allotment for a kicked-up compound butter.  Since you're planning to use the butter anyway, you might as well get the most bang for your foodie buck.

To get you started with this most delectable foodie delight, I want to share my recipe for Herb-Garlic Butter.  I can't make garlic bread without it, and I also love it on my Fish en Papillote.  Making that simple tweak to my dish was a mouth-watering revelation!  And once you try it, I trust you'll agree.

Happy Eating!

Herb-Garlic Butter
Ingredients: 
1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine butter, herbs, garlic and salt.  Refrigerate (or freeze) until butter has become firm again.  Remove from refrigerator, serve and enjoy!