Roast Chicken with Herb Butter

A slightly simplified version of a classic that preserves the most important elements: a crisp-skinned chicken smacking of butter and herbs. This recipe is one of the few in which substituting olive oil simply won’t do; if you will not or cannot cook with butter, stick with Simplest Whole Roast Chicken, Six Ways

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, tarragon, parsley, or chervil leaves, or a combination

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat

1/2 cup dry white wine or water, plus more if needed

1 clove garlic, lightly smashed (optional)

Chopped fresh parsley or other herb leaves for Garnish

• Heat the oven to 450 F. Use a fork or mini food processor to combine half the butter with the herb(s) and some salt and pepper. With your fingers, loosen the skin of the chicken wherever you can without tearing it and spread some of this mixture between skin and meat. Put a little in the chicken cavity and spread the remainder on top of the breast. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with salt and pepper.
• Put the remaining butter in a cast-iron skillet or roasting pan and put the pan in the oven. When the butter has melted and its foam subsided, add the wine and the garlic if you’re using it. Put the chicken, breast side down, on a rack in the pan and return to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, spoon some of the butter mixture over it, then turn the bird breast side up. (If, at any point, the pan juices are beginning to stick to the pan, add a little more liquid.) Baste again, then again after 10 minutes; at this point the breast should be beginning to brown (if it hasn’t, roast for a few more minutes). Turn the heat down to 325 F, baste again, and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 155–165°F. Total roasting time will be under 1 hour.
• Before removing the chicken from the pan, tip the pan to let the juices from the bird’s cavity flow into the pan (if they are red, cook for another 5 minutes). Transfer the bird to a platter and let it rest for about 5 minutes before carving. Garnish with minced herbs and serve with the pan juices.
  Roast Chicken with Herb Butter and Wine Sauce.
  • Steps 1 and 2 remain the same. In Step 3, while the bird is resting, place the roasting pan on a burner over high heat.
  • Add 1 cup dry white wine and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any solids that have stuck there, until the liquid is reduced by about half. Add 1 tablespoon of the minced fresh herb you have been using (2 teaspoons if you used tarragon), stir again, and serve with the chicken.
• MAKES: 4 servings
• TIME: About 1 hour