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Prep Time20 minutes
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Cook Time90 minutes or so
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Serving2
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This chicken was roasted in a Romertopf clay pot although you could do this in a roasting pan or Dutch oven. I loved the clay pot method because it resulted in such a moist juicy chicken with a pretty dark golden brown skin. The skin wasn’t crispy, crackly but it wasn’t flabby and rubbery either. You could almost mistake this chicken for a rotisserie chicken (which in my opinion is not a bad thing). The juices in the pot after the chicken has roasted make a spectacular gravy. And the tarragon is not overwhelming — it’s just perfect.
When you cook in a clay pot, you have to soak the pot first for at least 20 minutes. Then you put the chicken in the pot, put the pot in a cold oven and crank up the heat to 450 degrees. Hence, The Big Heat! Which was also the movie I was watching while I cooked this chicken.
HOW TO TRUSS A CHICKEN: WELL, YOU WATCH A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! Tuck the wings under the chicken. Slide the twine beneath the chicken, bring it down the sides of the wings, and parallel along the legs, then draw the feet together, wrap the twine around the feet twice and double-tie. Got it? Of course not! You need to see someone do this and YouTube is the place. But learn to do it because it makes your chicken cook more evenly and it looks neat.
Another tip: DRY the chicken before you salt, pepper and butter it. Don’t put an ice cold chicken in the oven. Use dried tarragon for the basting butter but tuck some fresh tarragon sprigs around the chicken while it is roasting.
By the way, The Big Heat (1953) is a classic in the film noir genre. It had its moments, what can I say. I enjoyed watching it while sipping wine and cooking. This chicken is in the oven for 90 minutes making it a fun and leisurely endeavor on a movie night! Your house will smell so homey and inviting — sip something along the lines of a white burgundy and enjoy date night at home!
Ingredients
Roast Tarragon Chicken
Directions
SOAK THE POT in cold water for at least 20 minutes while you prep the chicken.
Prepare the chicken: DRY it as thoroughly as possible. Stuff the cavity with lemon wedges, a couple sprigs of fresh tarragon and about 4 garlic cloves, smashed. Salt and pepper the outside skin of the chicken. TRUSS the chicken.
Layer the chopped onions and carrots on the bottom of the clay pot. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables. Pour the butter mixture over the chicken (this is the melted butter with dried tarragon, salt and pepper). Pour the chicken stock around the chicken but NOT ON TOP of the chicken. Nestle a few sprigs of fresh tarragon around the chicken.
Put the lid on the pot. Slide the pot into a COLD oven. Turn up The Big Heat to 450 degrees and let the chicken cook for 90 minutes. In the last 20 minutes, take off the lid and let the skin brown.
Remove the chicken to a platter. Pour the juices through one of those measuring cups that has a strainer and a little rubber cork in the spout. Let the juices rest for a minute - the fat will rise to the top. Now you can make a gravy. You can simply reduce the de-fatted juices in a saucepan over medium heat and add a little cream. Or, you could make a light roux and whisk in the chicken juices. Taste and season -- but you really shouldn't have to add salt and the juices should be delicious with a nice tarragon-y taste.
After the chicken has rested at least 15 minutes, serve it with the gravy on the side.
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