Description
This Roast Tarragon Chicken with Crispy Skin recipe features a whole chicken seasoned with fresh tarragon, garlic, and lemon, then roasted to golden perfection. The skin turns irresistibly crispy, while the meat remains juicy and flavorful, making it a classic French-inspired main course perfect for a comforting dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasoning
- 1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or softened butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon (chopped) or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional, for color)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Stuffing
- 1 lemon (halved)
- 1 onion (quartered)
- 3 sprigs fresh tarragon (for cavity)
- Kitchen twine
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) to ensure a hot environment for roasting the chicken and achieving crispy skin.
- Prepare Chicken: Pat the chicken dry thoroughly with paper towels to remove moisture, which helps the skin crisp up during roasting.
- Make Seasoning Mixture: In a small bowl, combine olive oil or softened butter with chopped tarragon, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and optional paprika. Mix well to create a flavorful rub.
- Season Chicken: Rub this mixture all over the chicken, including underneath the skin where possible, for deep flavor infusion.
- Stuff Cavity: Place lemon halves, quartered onion, and fresh tarragon sprigs inside the chicken cavity to infuse aromatic flavors during roasting.
- Truss Chicken: Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under the body to promote even cooking and maintain shape.
- Place Chicken in Pan: Set the chicken breast-side up on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan to allow heat circulation and fat rendering.
- Roast the Chicken: Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, basting once or twice with pan juices to keep the meat moist and skin flavorful. The chicken is done when the skin is golden and an internal temperature of 165°F is reached in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Rest Chicken: Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This allows juices to redistribute, ensuring juicy meat.
- Carve and Serve: Carve the chicken and serve with the pan juices or your preferred side dishes such as roasted vegetables, potatoes, or a fresh green salad.
Notes
- For extra crispy skin, leave the chicken uncovered in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before roasting.
- Fresh tarragon provides a more vibrant flavor, but dried tarragon works well as a substitute.
- This dish pairs beautifully with roasted vegetables, potatoes, or a green salad for a complete meal.
