Chicken Roasted With Sage, Garlic And Lemon
Serves 4
Roasting a chicken is simple but roasting a delicious chicken is, well even simpler with just a bit of an effort. Be gentle when you pry the skin away from the breast meat because you want it to hold the butter inside.
You’ll Need:
1 4-lb. chicken
1 medium sized lemon
22 fresh sage leaves
3 cloves garlic
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
Kosher salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
Ground black pepper, to taste
8 sprigs parsley
2 small onions, quartered
2 carrots, cut into 2″ pieces
Sea or Kosher salt
Woody’s Note: Scrub up 4 good sized Russet or baking potatoes, then cut into quarters and then again. Toss in a bowl with some olive oil and salt and pepper. When you lower the heat after 20 minutes, place the potatoes in the roasting pan evenly around the chicken but not crowding it. They will brown up beautifully and you have a one pot meal.
Here’s What To Do:
Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees. Rinse chicken under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Peel lemon, avoiding white pith. Finely chop lemon peel, sage, and garlic together; place in a bowl. Add butter and 1 tsp. salt. Stir to combine. Quarter the peeled lemon; set aside.
Using your fingers and a small, sharp knife, loosen skin of chicken from breasts and thighs. Slip butter mixture between skin and flesh, spreading it evenly. Rub skin with oil; season skin and cavity with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff with quartered lemon, parsley, and 1 quartered onion. Tie legs together with kitchen twine, if you like.
Create a bed of vegetables by placing the remaining quartered onion and carrots into center of roasting pan and place chicken on top of them. Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh (without touching bone) reads 165 degrees, about 1 hour more. Transfer chicken to a platter; sprinkle with sea/Kosher salt cover with foil, then let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the lemon and onion before carving.
What Goes With What Wines Selections
Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc ‘08 Marlborough (Sauvigon_Blanc)
The wine style leans more toward citrus and tropical fruit flavors and less towards the green herbs and wildness found in so many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. The wine is fresh and clean with grapefruit and lemony flavors and a well-rounded palate with a crisp, limey finish. R90 $12
http://www.allanscott.com/
Sebastiani Unoaked Chardonnay Russian River ‘07 (Chardonnay)
This wine has a beautiful lightly golden color and concentrated flavors. Good acid acts as the backbone to a soft body of flavors including golden delicious apples, apricots Meyer lemon and hints of mineral. R88 $18
http://www.sebastiani.com/