ROAST CHICKEN WITH TARRAGON BUTTER & GARLIC
INGREDIENTS
• 1 x 1.6kg free range chicken
• 50g butter, softened
• 1 tbsp tarragon, plus extra to garnish
• Sea salt to taste
• 1 whole head garlic
• 1 bunch Dutch carrots, washed, trimmed
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 180C. Wipe the chicken all over with kitchen paper so it is completely dry. Using clean hands, make a small pocket underneath the skin on top of the breast meat of the chicken.
2 Chop the tarragon and mix into 40g of the butter. Place 20g of tarragon butter in between the skin and the breast meat and gently push out so the whole top of the breast is covered. Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the chicken skin and season with sea salt flakes. Place the head of garlic into the cavity of the chicken then place into a roasting dish.
3 Roast the chicken for 40 minutes, basting a couple of times with any pan juices. Place the carrots into the roasting dish with the chicken and roll them around in any pan juices to coat. Cook for a further 20 minutes before adding the asparagus into the tray. Roast for a final 10 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
4 Remove the garlic from the cavity and carefully slice in half horizontally. Garnish with a few extra sprigs of tarragon and serve the chicken with the soft garlic cloves on the side and some creamy mashed potato.