Jon’s Perfect Roast Chicken
What the best part of the Holidays? We say food.
This recipe is a family favorite and can be easily modified depending on what spices you love or happen to have available. The key is not to skimp on the butter or spices. The other secret (thanks Delyse’s mom) is to briefly start the chicken at a very high temp to crisp the skin then reduce the heat for the rest of the cooking time. It’s simple. It’s delicious. It’s an impressive but not complicated meal. When the team sat down for dinner at the end of our Holiday photo shoot, this chicken is what was for dinner, and it’s what we couldn’t stop talking about. Not our gorgeous holiday table, not the amazing work by our photographer, nor the excitement of decorating the tree in early November…
- it was the chicken.
Jon’s Roast Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1 Chicken - we love Kinderhook or Northwinds Farms
1 Stick Unsalted Butter
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Dried basil
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
4 stalks of celery
2 leeks
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt
STEPS
Preheat the oven to 450.
Prep your baking dish by slicing the celery and leeks lengthwise and then cutting to fit them in bottom of the dish. Cast iron or carbon steel works best.
Clean out the inner cavity of the chicken, rinse it, and pat it very dry.
Next grind together the black pepper, salt, dried basil, parsley, oregano, and cayenne pepper. You can use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
Melt the stick of butter over low heat. Once its melted add the spice blend to the butter for a few minutes until fragrant. Remove spiced butter from the heat, add lemon zest.
Use your fingers to peel back the skin from the meat. Be gently, you want the skin to remain intact.
Once the skin in loose pour the butter mixture under the skin. Massage it so it covers most of the top of the chicken, rub any remaining over the wings and legs. Salt chicken inside and out.
Put it on a roasting pan and into the oven for 15 minutes at 450.
Now lower the temperature to 350 and leave it in for an hour and fifteen minutes.
Rest the chicken for 10 minutes, basting it in all that delicious butter.
