Nici's festive tarragon butter roast chicken
This roast chicken from Nici Wickes is crammed full of butter and tarragon, served with caramelised shallots and after one tender, succulent mouthful no-one will miss the Christmas turkey!
- 20 mins preparation
- 1 hr 25 mins cooking
- Serves 6
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Ingredients
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped roughly
- splash of olive oil
- 250 gram butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sour dough breadcrumbs
- small handful fresh tarragon leaves or 2 tbsp dried tarragon
- 3 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 quality chicken – we used a fully organic chicken
- 8 shallots, peeled and trimmed
- extra olive oil
- few handfuls fresh spinach leaves to serve
Method
- 1Preheat oven to 180°C. Oil an oven dish and spread out the chopped onion in it. Splash with olive oil and toss. The chicken will sit on this.
- 2Mix the butter, breadcrumbs, tarragon and salt together.
- 3Pat the chicken dry all over, inside and out. From the neck end, stuff half the butter mix under the skin of the breast, being careful not to tear it. Do both sides. Next, make room under the skin around the thigh and drum, and stuff with the remaining butter mix. Salt the inside of the chicken and lay it on one side, atop the onions. Scatter shallots around the dish and splash all over with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken to its other side for 15 minutes, then place it breast-side up for the last 40-50 minutes. Rest on a board, breast side down, for 10 minutes – this allows the juices to flow into the breast meat.
- 4Serve on a bed of fresh spinach leaves and drizzle over the buttery pan juices.
Notes
• If you can fork out for a fully organic chicken, then do, otherwise a free-range chicken will suffice. • Let's talk turkey: For those who are still planning to go with the big bird this year, this recipe will work just as well for it – just double the butter mix measurements and observe a much longer cooking time.
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