Roasted Chicken with Herbed Butter

One way to achieve a delicious moist roasted chicken is to create a butter mixture, which is easy to make and adds flavor.

With the whole chicken, (usually around 3.5-4 lbs.) I use a large spoon to separate the skin of the chicken from the meat itself. Therefore creating a little pocket to stuff with the herbed butter mix. I gently continued to use my spoon or small spatula to separate the skin from the meat all the way around the breast of the chicken as well as the legs. Once that is done, I add half of the herbed butter mixture into the cavity, and be sure to include the legs. Then use the other half of the mixture to spread on outside of the bird’s skin, so you get an evenly seasoned chicken. Additionally, I sprinkle the outside of the bird with salt.

I created an herb compound butter using fall herbs this time around – sage, thyme and rosemary. However, depending on the flavor you are going for or the time of year it is, you could easily change up those fresh herbs to something else, or add some chopped garlic to the mix! 

Ingredients

• 1 Organic Whole Roasting Chicken (3.5-4 pounds)
• 8 tablespoons salted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon diced fresh sage
• 2 teaspoons diced fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon diced fresh rosemary
• 1 lemon cut in half
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Position rack in the middle of the oven.
3. Place the whole chicken on a cutting board and pat it dry with paper towel. Using your spoon or spatula gently separate skin from the meat on the breast, leg and thighs, being careful not to pop a hole through the skin. 
4. Use a roasting pan with rack.
5. Place the chicken breast-side up on wire rack.
6. In a small bowl, add butter, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Using a fork or spoon mix together until all the ingredients are combined.
7. Take half of the mixture and rub under the skin.
8. Be sure to get it all over.
9. Sprinkle outside of chicken with salt
10. Place the lemon halves inside the chicken cavity. (Optional – Using cooking twine, tie the legs together.)
11. Place chicken in the oven and roast for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove from oven, rub remaining butter mixture all over of the chicken. Reduce over temperature to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken back into the oven and continue roasting for 65 minutes. (Calculate entire cooking time at 20 mins per pound.) 4 lbs. = 80 mins.
12. Remove from oven. Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (the bottom of the chicken.) The chicken will be done when the thigh is 165 degrees F.
13. Remove roasted chicken from oven. Let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
14. Serve and enjoy!