Every cook/chef/foodie has a recipe for roast chicken…mine is a combination of a few…one of which I morphed from Williams Sonoma and The Kitchen.   Adjusted it accordingly for my taste and wishes and voila who needs a rotisserie chicken!

The compound herb butter under the skin is an absolute must…don’t skimp. The type of Artisan Bread you choose is up to you. I used a Levain sourdough. The results will be the same the bread will absorb all of those wonderful chicken juices at the end with a wonderful crunch and color that is heavenly.

ingredients

  • 1 chicken, about 4 lb. (2 kg)
  • 2 1/2 tsp. Sous Salt Grey Herb
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
  • 2 lemons, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh chives
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme + 2 sprigs
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
  • 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley + 2 sprigs
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 garlic head, halved crosswise
  • 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) (2 oz./60 g) butter, at room temperature
  • 4 shallots cut in half
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 4 – 5 slices Artisan bread
  • 1/2 c white wine
  • 2 T butter
  • chopped parsley
  • 1/2 c chicken stock

 

directions

Preheat an oven to 450°F (220°C). Place a large black iron skillet in the oven to preheat.
In a small bowl, stir together the chives, thyme, oregano, parsley, tarragon, lemon zest and chopped garlic. Add the butter and stir until the mixture is throughly combined.

Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken inside and out with the Soussalt Grey Herb (although you could use the Porcini, Olive Thyme, Sun Dried Tomato anyone would be terrific) and pepper and place half of the lemon slices, half of the garlic head, shallots and 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 sprigs of rosemary and two sprigs of parsley inside the chicken cavity.

Starting at the cavity, slip your fingers underneath the chicken skin and loosen it all over, being careful not to tear it and reaching as far as possible into the thigh area. Using your fingers, rub the butter mixture under the skin, distributing it as evenly as possible. Rub the outside of the bird with the remaining butter get into the crevices of the wings and legs. Tuck the wing tips behind the back and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

Lightly butter the bread slices (you could use olive oil is you prefer). Carefully take the skillet out of the oven and place the bread slices down. Place the chicken breast side up on the bread slices. Arrange the remaining garlic, shallots and lemon slices around the bird.

Roast the chicken in the middle of the oven until the skin is well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, registers 170°F (77°C), 50 to 60 minutes. If you place your roaster in the bottom of the oven your bread will burn.

Transfer the chicken to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the bread toasts which have soaked up the lovely juices and set aside.  At this point you can add 1/2 c white wine to the skillet scraping up any bits. Reduce it a couple of minutes and add 1/2 c chicken stock. Bubble it up a bit and add 2 T of butter. Whisk it together for a pan juice and sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley.

Carve the chicken and serve immediately with the lemon slices, garlic and spring onions alongside.

Morphed by Sous Salt from an original Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen recipe.