If you have followed at all you know that I am a rabid fan of Julia Child. In fact, so much so that there’s a whole page about Julia and a personal journey with her as my culinary inspiration. This recipe is the first post added to sizzle&STEM that pays honor to her memory. There will be many more.
Thinking about Julia one fine Sunday afternoon when staring at a newly acquired whole chicken. Go to is usually a breakdown of the whole bird into its pieces; legs, thighs, breasts, and use those for 2 or 3 different meals. Use the leftover carcass to make stock, one of my favorite things to cook.
Being one of those people… let’s keep all the bits that come in that paper bag stuck in the cavity that most people toss; heart, liver, neck, giblet. Why?
That is a discussion for a different day.
This day also happened to be looking at a bunch of veg that needed to be dealt with before they died. (That is a recurring theme during the COVID-19 lockdown). All those elements brought me to the conclusion that a whole roast chicken and veg was in order. A meal that feels like Sunday afternoon.
So grabbed a copy of Julia’s recipe off the web and gave it a spin. If you want to see the original… and you should… go here: https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/recipes/julia-child-roast-chicken-recipe
This looks like ALOT of steps. Its really not that many and remember that Julia will appreciate your efforts
Roast Chicken and Vegetables
Course: MainCuisine: French BistroDifficulty: Moderate4
servingsWhile not an exact rendition of the Julia Child recipe, we pay homage to her technique.
Ingredients
- For Chicken
5-6 lb. Chicken
2 TBSP Butter (softened)
1 Lemon
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 Spring Fresh Tarragon
3 Whole Cloves Garlic (do not peel)
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
3 TBSP Butter (melted)
- For Vegetables (this is a flexible combination of things)
1 Carrot (cut into 1/2″ slices)
1 Onion (cut into 1/2″ strips)
1 Large Potato (Russet or Yukon Gold or whatever you have on hand, cut into 1/2″ thick slices, quartered)
1 Dozen Brussel Sprouts (outer leaves removed and cut in half)
1/2 Fennel Bulb (cut into 1/2″ strips)
2 Portabella Mushrooms
2 Twigs Thyme (leaves removed from stems and chopped)
1 Twig Rosemary (leaves removed from stems and chopped)
1 Small Bunch Tarragon (leaves removed from stems and chopped)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
2 TBSP Olive Oil
Process
- Prep the Chicken
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Remove the bag of “stuff” from the chicken inner cavity and save for later use. Clean and dry chicken, inside and out.
- Liberally salt and pepper the cavity of the chicken
- Cut a lemon in half and stuff into chicken cavity with 3 cloves of garlic and the sprigs of fresh herbs (Thyme/Rosemary/Tarragon)
- Truss chicken. This is important as a trussed chicken is more compact and cooks more evenly. If you don’t know how to do that I recommend this video: https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-truss-a-chicken-995373
- Rub 2 TBSP of softened butter all over chicken. Use your hands and get into it. This is not a dainty process. Salt and pepper ALL the outside surfaces of the chicken. Set aside while you prep the veg. DO NOT put in refrigerator unless you are not going to finish the process right away (or within 30 minutes). Bringing the chicken to room temp is a good thing and it will reward you later with more even cooking.
- Prep the Vegetables
- Gather up whatever veg you are using. The list in the ingredients above is what I happened to have on hand at the time. This is a very flexible list. I would say that any combination will do but the carrots, onions and potatoes probably make a good base.
- Cut up all the vegetables per above. If using brussels sprouts and/or mushrooms. Prep and put aside.
- Put the potatoes, onions and carrots in a roasting pan with the fennel and chopped herbs (thyme, rosemary, tarragon). Pour in olive oil and a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Stir to coat and arrange in a single layer,
- Roast the Chicken and Vegetables
- Place chicken (on its right side) on top of vegetables. Roast on this side for about 10 minutes.
- Rotate the chicken onto its left side and baste with melted butter. After 10 more minutes, rotate on its backside (breast side up) and baste again.
- Lower the oven to 350° and add the remaining vegetables (brussel sprouts and mushrooms) to the pan. Stir vegetables to distribute any pan drippings that have accumulated.
- Continue to cook until the internal temp (measured with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh) reaches 165° basting every 10 minutes or so. This will likely take 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven.
- When chicken reaches the correct temp remove from oven and place on a platter or cutting board to rest. If the vegetables are not fork tender, add the pan back to the oven until they are the texture you like.
- When vegetables are to your liking arrange on a platter with the chicken. Carve chicken and enjoy. Bon appetite!
