Ginger-tarragon roasted chicken

Its been an eventful January. I went to California to see my long lost cousins. Ok, maybe not lost, but I had not seen them in over 15 years so it felt like it. I had so much fun that California now seems like a possible destination to move to, who knows. I went snowboarding for the first and it will definitely be something I will be doing again. Who’s up for going here on the East coast ? Been with family definitely brought back fond memories of my childhood. Everybody is grown up though. My cousin has the cutest son, who gives fist bumps to everyone. It was so hard to come back to the blistery cold of Maryland, didn’t have a choice though. Or did I ? Getting back into the regular schedule of things was little harder and blogging and taking pictures took a seat on the bleacher’s watching as life went ahead. Getting things ready for the students to come back, cooking and eating dinner.

Ginger tarragon chicken being prepped.

Ginger tarragon chicken, getting up close and personal

Soggy, rubbery roasted chicken skin is not the best tasting thing ever to put in your mouth. I went on a search to find a recipe to find crispy skinned chicken like the ones you get from the rotisserie place at the market. It just so happened that Cook’s Illustrated had an article on making some roasted chicken based off cooking a very high oven temperature and then cooking in residual heat. So going off the high heat technique, I decided to change it around a little bit by seasoning the chicken from the inside. Ginger and tarragon has been the best combination I’ve tried so far. Any one else tried any other combinations that has worked well for roasted chicken ?

Ginger tarragon chicken

Ginger- tarragon roasted chicken
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, defrosted with giblets removed
1 stick of butter, room temperature.
2 tbs of ginger paste
2 tbs of tarragon, dried ( fresh if you have it)
2 tsp of salt
2 tsp of black pepper
1/2 tsp of dried mustard
1 tbs of parsley
Cast iron pan if you have one
Butcher’s twine

Directions

Air dry the chicken for 15- 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 425°F with cast iron pan in the oven.

Mix the butter and all the spices together into a paste.

Place the chicken on a flat non-skid cutting board.

Put you fingers in between the skin and the flesh to separate them. Be careful not to tear the skin.

Massage some of the ginger-tarragon paste between the skin and flesh. Making to get it into all the crevices.

Season the insides of the chicken as well with salt and pepper and a little of the paste.

With remaining paste, massage the outsides of the chicken.

You can stuff the chicken now with your choice of aromatics and vegetables.

Tie the drumsticks together with butcher’s twine and tuck in the wings.

Place the chicken breast side down in the cast iron pan and return back into the oven.

Cook for 30-35 mins in the oven at 425°F.

Turn off the oven and let cook for another 30 mins.

With an insta-read thermometer in the thigh, check to see that it reads 180°F.

Let the chicken rest for 10 mins.

Plate and enjoy