Chicken - Roasted Herb and Garlic Whole Chicken

By á-47

To vary the flavor, swap the cilantro leaves for tarragon or sage leaves (use a bit less as these are stronger tasting herbs).

Ingredients

• CHICKEN
• 1 large roasting chicken (about 5 lb)
• 1 tea. salt, divided
• 1 tea. freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 tea. grated lemon zest, divided
• 1 large lemon, halved
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 3 Tbsp. sour cream
• 1 cup dry white wine
• GRAVY
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to425 degrees.

Wash the chicken inside and out with cold running water; discard the giblets and neck. Sprinkle the large cavity with 1/2 tea. salt and 1/2 tea. pepper. Sprinkle 1 tea. of the lemon zest into the caity. Holding the chicken on a slant, squeeze the lemon inside the cavity, then stuff the lemon inside.

POsistion the chicken breast side up. Starting at the neck end, ease your fingers gently under the skn to loosen the skin over the breasts and thighs.

In a food processor or blender, process the cilantro, parsley, and garlic until finely chopped, 30 seconds.

Add the cream cheese, sour cream, the remaining 1/2 tea. pepper, remaining tea. salt, and the remaining 1 tea. lemon zest. Process a few seconds more to mix. Push the herbed cheese mixture under the skin, easing it along so that it covers the breasts and thighs evenly in a thin layer.

Truss the chicken and place on a rack in the baking pan. Pour the wine over the chicken and roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Lower the oven temp. to 350 degrees and continue roasting the chicken, basting frequently with the pan juices, until the thermometer registers 180 degrees and the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a fork, about 1 1/2 hours.

Carefully lift the chicken from the roasting pan, tilting it so the juices run out of the cavity into the pan. Let it stand on a carving board for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for gravy, pour the pan drippings into a heat-proof measuring cup and skim off the fat. Add enough chicken broth to make 2 cups liquid and pour the mixture back into the pan. In a cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the water and whisk into the drippings. bring to a boil over high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil until the gravy thickens, about 2 minutes.

Carve the chicken and serve with the gravy.