Two Roasted Chickens, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

One of my favorite chefs Nigel Slater, says that anyone who can brew coffee can roast a chicken. I agree with him that there is no excuse for not feeding yourself well if you want to. If you don’t that’s another story, but lack of experience is no excuse. Roasting a chicken is easy and ever so rewarding with its aroma pervading the household. Roasted chicken is the ultimate comfort food and goes on giving – especially if you use the leftovers, bones and juices to make soup.

Growing up in a French household we continued the French tradition of the Reveillon every Christmas Eve. We would return from midnight mass in a sleepy trance-like state, subdues by beautiful Christmas music and soft candle light. Our mother would have roasted 2 chickens earlier Christmas Eve, and let them cool for us to eat upon our return from service. After a light midnight snack of cold roasted chicken and Champagne, all six sleepy kids were whisked off to bed while my parents tended to Christmas present duties.

Herb Roasted Chicken
You can use whatever herbs you like – I dry mine from the garden and use them all winter. The important aspect of this recipe is the butter smear, which melts into the roasting vegetables below the chicken. These vegetables brown to produce the most rich, satisfying sauce (or jus) you have ever tasted. For this hungry family I always roast 2 chickens now - and have plenty of leftovers for soups and casseroles.

½ stick butter, room temperature
3 dried sage leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried mint

1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 roasting chicken, cleaned and patted dry
1 lemon, quartered
1 cup dry white wine

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine butter and herbs in a small food processor and blend well. Scatter vegetables evenly across an oiled roasting pan. Place chicken on a rack and put on top of vegetables. Make sure paper sack with neck and gizzards is removed from body cavity, and then make sure chicken is really dry. Smear butter evenly all over chicken then sprinkle generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Stuff lemon inside chicken.

Roast chicken uncovered for half an hour. Pour wine into roasting pan, cover chicken, and reduce heat to 350. Continue roasting until chicken juices run clear when meat is pierced with a sharp object – when the meat reaches about 165F. Baste chicken from time to time with pan juices. If too much has evaporated to baste, add a little water to pan.

When cooked, let chicken rest for at least 15 minutes covered in roasting pan on the counter. Remove chicken from pan, allowing all juices to drip into pan. Carve and return any more accumulated juices back into roasting pan.

Meanwhile for sauce, heat roasting pan on the stove, stirring up all the fine brown bits and roasted vegetables. Adjust liquid to taste – adding a bit of water, if sauce is too strong. Strain sauce and separate fat (I use a spouted fat separator – very convenient). Serve defatted sauce alongside roasted chicken.