Herb-Butter Chicken | Everyday Dorie

The herb-butter chicken from Everyday Dorie is the ultimate no-recipe recipe that’d serve you well for years to come. Whip it up in a moment’s notice when you want to put an aromatic and beautifully roast chicken on the table. I’d refrain from saying that it’s the best chicken recipe; don’t want to overstate the case. But you’d find it hard to beat, in so many ways.

The scent of the herb permeates every part of the chicken, including the bones, even on the next day. Imagine, walking into the kitchen, you’d know instantly something wonderful is happening. The intoxicating and welcoming scent of the herb chicken from the oven wafts through the entire house. I was smitten. There is nothing quite like it — reminiscent of walking into a French bistro in Paris.

There are several key steps and a few tricks to note:

1. Start by making the herb butter. I use garlic, lemon grass, and lemon. (Fresh ginger too if you have it.) Say use as much herb as you like with one stick of butter. (Lucky me, I got a huge bunch for $3 at the farmers market and turned some of the stalks into lemon grass butter. There is still plenty left.) Dorie suggests a typical poultry herb mix of rosemary, tarragon and dill along with parsley, cilantro and basil. For a Mediterranean tilt, use sumac, lemon, za’atar and thyme.
2. Slip the herb-speckled butter under the skin of the chicken. It’s a messy job; I use a pair of disposal glove to get that done. Use your fingers to pull the skin away from the meat, loosening it along the breasts and legs. Work carefully to open up the space without tearing the skin. “Squish, squiggle and otherwise schmush the butter under the skin of the chicken.” This way, the butter bastes the bird so that the roasting becomes very much hands-off.
3. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with additional herbaceous goodness. The use of herb stems, scallion trimmings as well as zested-and-squeezed lemon flavor the chicken even more from the inside. Pat the skin dry and smear whatever butter remains over it. Season with salt and pepper inside and out. Tuck the lemon, and in my case more lemon grass, into the cavity.
4. Set the chicken, breast side up, on one or two slices of bread in a Dutch oven. Toss in the onion, a bay leaf, what have you, and wine or water around the chicken.
5. Roast the chicken at 450°F uncovered for 50-60 minutes until the thighs register 165°F with an instant thermometer. Meanwhile, when the pan juices run low, add some water. The bread soaks up the drippings and helps moisten the chicken in the pot. A very neat trick.

Make the chicken using this method for a few times to work out the kinks, it will become second nature. The reward: Your roast chicken will be a hit every time.