Herb-Roasted Chicken With Chardonnay Sauce

By á-170456

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 chicken - (4 to 5 lbs) rinsed, patted dry
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 small yellow onion diced
• 2 tablespoons Chardonnay vinegar*
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup Chardonnay
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 2 pieces, at room temperature

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

* Available at Williams-Sonoma stores.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the thyme, the 3/4 teaspoon salt, the 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the olive oil. Brush the outside of the chicken with the thyme mixture. Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the garlic cloves in the bottom of a small roasting pan.

Place the chicken on a rack in the roasting pan and roast for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and roast, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, registers 170 degrees, 50 to 60 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the roasting pan. Set the pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook, stirring often and mashing the garlic cloves with a spoon, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until the liquid is evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the stock and wine and cook, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan, set over medium-low heat and whisk in the butter in two additions. Season with salt and pepper.

Carve the chicken and arrange on a warmed platter. Pour the sauce into a sauceboat and pass alongside.

This recipe yields 4 servings.