Recipes for Roasted Chickens are like recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies. There are a bazillion of them. They come and go in our lives with irregular regularity. Some stay for long periods of time, while others are merely placeholders until the next 'best' one comes along. And even when we find 'the' one we fall deeply, madly in love with, our faithfulness is tested with each new roasted chicken recipe we come across. Even Ina Garten, who has made a countless number of chicken dinners for Jeffrey, has developed more than a handful of roasted chicken recipes over the years! Proof or rather reassurance that there is room in our lives for more than one roasted chicken recipe!
When I first made "Roasted Chicken with Pan Gravy" (a take on Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken recipe), I was smitten. It was everything I wanted a roasted chicken to be. Moist, flavorful, and consistently reliable. Then I came across Ottolenghi's recipe for "Roasted Chicken with Sumac, Za'atar and Lemon" and I was bewitched by the flavors a chicken roasted in 'exotic in my world' spices took on. Then somewhere along the way I was beguiled by Thomas Keller's Roasted Chicken recipe and I felt certain this was the roasted chicken unicorn. How could anyone not be lured into making the roasted chicken beating out seven other recipes to earn the distinction of Buzzfeed's "Best Roast Chicken of All Time". For varying reasons, I have loved all of these roasted chicken recipes.
So when a recipe for a very herbaceous chicken roasted at both high and medium heats came across my Instagram feed, I was intrigued. Was there room in my life for another roasted chicken? Spoiler alert: Yes, there was.
As with most recipes I come across, I kept true to most, but not all, of the ingredients and techniques. I decided I would not change the ingredient amounts for the herbs and seasonings. Nor would I change the cooking temperatures and times. However, instead of roasting the chicken whole on a rack, I would spatchcock it (i.e., remove the backbone), roast it flat in a cast iron pan, and let it rest for up to 20 minutes (instead of 10) before carving it.
If I told you this was the best roasted chicken I had ever tasted, well, considering all of my aforementioned musings, my credibility may be in question. So I will simply tell you this melt in your mouth, deeply flavored, moist Herb Crusted Roasted Chicken has earned a permanent place in my roasted chicken life. No more roasted chicken recipe surfing for me! (scout's honor) And, if my last meal included a roasted chicken, this would be the one. I am absolutely 99.9% certain of it!
On a cold winter's day, the aroma of an herb crusted chicken roasting in the oven is intoxicating. Great food does not need to be complicated or made with expensive, hard to find ingredients. It needs only to be beautifully presented and incredibly flavorful. In borrowing from words recently written by one of my friends, ordinary can indeed be extraordinary. This Herb Crusted Roasted Chicken is proof of it.
Herb Crusted Roasted Chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon dried sweet basil
1 Tablespoon dried Greek oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 to 5 1/2 pound whole chicken
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Optional, but highly recommended: Slices of a baguette for mopping up the juices
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F).
2. In a small bowl, mix together the basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
3. Spatchcock the chicken (i.e., remove the back bone). Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
4. Spread the herb mixture evenly over the top of the chicken. Place chicken in a large cast iron pan or on a baking sheet. Drizzle half of the melted butter over the chicken.
5. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees (F). Baste with remaining melted butter. Roast for an additional 40-50 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees (F) and/or the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced. Note: Continue basting the chicken with pan juices and melted butter every 15 minutes.
7. Remove chicken from oven, reserving drippings. Place on a cutting board and let rest for 15-20 minutes (or up 30 minutes if you like serving warmer than room temperature chicken).
8. Cut and slice the roasted chicken. Place on a platter and serve. Reheat the drippings and pour over the chicken. Sit back and savor every bite!
Notes: (1) If you have never spatchcocked a chicken before, this video will show you how. (2) If I made one big mistake when I made this Herb Crusted Roasted Chicken, it was not having a baguette or fresh no knead rustic artisan bread to mop up the drippings. It was a crime to leave those drippings on the platter!
