← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 1.8 kg whole chicken, at room temperature for 30 min
• 80 g Butter, softened
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely grated
• 2 tsp herbes de Provence
• 4 sprigs Thyme
• 1 Lemon, halved
• salt and black pepper
• 750 g floury or all-rounder potatoes, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 8 cloves garlic cloves, whole and unpeeled
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 100 ml dry white wine or water, for the pan juices

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, 425°F). Mash the butter with the grated garlic, herbes de Provence and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Pat the chicken dry. Slide your fingers under the breast skin to loosen it, push in about half the herb butter and rub the rest all over the outside. Tuck the lemon halves and thyme into the cavity and tie the legs together.
3. Toss the potatoes and whole garlic cloves with the olive oil and some salt in a roasting tin. Sit the chicken on top, breast up.
4. Roast for 20 min, then turn the oven down to 190°C (170°C fan, 375°F) and roast for another 55–60 min, basting with the buttery juices once or twice. It is done when the thickest part of the thigh reaches 75°C (165°F) and the juices run clear.
5. Lift the chicken onto a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 min. Meanwhile, put the potatoes back in the oven to crisp.
6. Set the empty tin over medium heat, pour in the wine and scrape up the sticky bits as it bubbles for 2 min. Squeeze in a few of the soft roasted garlic cloves and serve the juices with the carved chicken and potatoes.

Tips

• Salt the chicken the night before and leave it uncovered in the fridge for the crispiest skin.
• Lift the bird onto the potatoes rather than the bare tin: they soak up the drippings and the chicken roasts more evenly.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

RecipeTin Eats David Lebovitz