Whole roasted chicken with fresh herbs – parsley, basil, thyme, oregano.
A great way to flavor chicken? Stuff spices just under the skin. This way, as the chicken cooks, the meat is immersed in the flavor of the spices.
In this recipe we use a mixture of freshly chopped herbs and some salt and pepper to flavor our chicken. The recipe comes (barely adapted) from Jamie Oliver in his wonderful book Naked Chef.
Roast chicken stuffed with herbs
ingredients
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1 (5 pounds) chicken
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Salt
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Fresh ground black pepper
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3/4 Cup packed loosly fresh herbs (basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram or oregano), finely chopped
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2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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1 lemonhalved
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4 bay leaves
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1 branch fresh rosemary
method
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Preheat the oven to 400°F with a skillet in it
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Rinse and salt the chicken:
Rinse the chicken and chicken cavity with water and pat dry with paper towels. Rub salt over the inside of the cavity.
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Stuff herbs under the skin:
Grasp the skin at the top of the chicken breast and gently pull upwards. Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the breast meat, being careful not to tear the skin. Sprinkle a little salt in the gaps and add as much of the chopped herb mix as you can.
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Fill the hollow with lemon, bay leaves, rosemary and the remaining herbs:
Pull the skin of the chicken breasts over the breast so no meat is exposed.
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Fold in wings and ties with kitchen twine
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To sear the breast side of the chicken in the roasting pan in the oven:
Rub olive oil over chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour a little oil on the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken breast-side down on the roaster side and place back in the oven.
Roast for 5 minutes, then turn the chicken over so the other breast is on the pan and roast for a further 5 minutes. Starting to cook the chicken this way will help brown the breasts.
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Turn and fry chicken until done:
Then turn the chicken over so that it is breast-side up. Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165°F for the breast and thighs.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 432 | calories |
| 24g | Fat |
| 18g | carbohydrates |
| 39g | protein |
