This recipe brings up an interesting point for cookbook authors. If you call something "Perfect Roast Chicken", what if later you come up with a different version. What are you going to call it? "The More Perfect Roast Chicken", "The Better Than Perfect Roast Chicken", "The Perfect in a Different Way Roast Chicken"?? See my point.
Anywho. I don't know if I would call this perfect, but it was up there in the top five at least. First of all, you pretty much can't go wrong with a recipe that calls for two sticks of butter. You could probably put two sticks of butter on lima beans, and even they would taste good. Maybe. But having said that, I didn't use two sticks, I only used one. No, not for health reasons, silly. I only had two sticks of butter and I needed one of the sticks for my Friday night popcorn. I don't ask for much out of life, but buttered popcorn on Friday night is a must. Sometimes it's the only thing I have to look forward to all week.
The chicken was wonderful, but the best part were the mushrooms. Why are not all chickens roasted with mushrooms? They were fabulous. The mushrooms were all buttery and chickeny. Really, if there is one thing I take from this recipe, it's the mushrooms, I am going to have a hard time roasting a chicken without mushrooms ever again.
Perfect Roast Chicken
From Tyler Florence: Stirring the Pot
Serves 4
1 4-5 pound whole free-range chicken
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 garlic bulb, have through the equator (I just used 4 cloves)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh sage
¼ bunch fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley (about 4 sprigs)
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (or 1 if you have popcorn issues)
2 cups button mushrooms
Preheat the oven to 400. Rinse your chicken inside and out and pat dry. Season inside the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff with the lemon, garlic, and rosemary, thyme, and sage. In a food processor, process the parsley and the butter until well combined and season with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken breast side up in a roasting pan, tie the legs together, and rub the herb butter over the chicken. Place the mushrooms in the bottom of the pan. Roast the chicken and mushrooms for about 1 hour 45 minutes, or until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees. Baste with the drippings and rotate the pan every 30 minute so that the chicken browns evenly. Remove the chicken from the oven, tent with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.
This will be my entry for this week's Tyler Florence Fridays!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says
I think that roasting a perfect chicken (and cooking a perfect egg) should be the final exam for any culinary program. The mushrooms sound wonderful and I will definitely give that a try.
Tessa says
Gorgeous! Gourgeous! Gourgeous! I love this! I've never prepared the mushrooms this way either, but it's going on the to-be-made list. YUM! Oh, and now I want some buttered popcorn, too!
Paula says
Pam ... I'm getting caught up on your blog and I think I just left a comment using my daughter's account. If there's a comment from Tessa ... that's actually from me! Sorry ... I'm forever forgetting to check the user name. Hmmm ... actually, I need to reinforce to them to log out!
Jenny says
I admit, the mushrooms were amazing in this. I'd forgotten. Thanks for reminding me (and I hope you liked your buttered popcorn!)
Debinhawaii says
I don't know why I never thought to roast mushrooms with chicken--it sounds incredible! I agree "perfect" is a tough term to declare something--it's never perfect. 🙂
Pam says
Kat - the mushrooms were the best.
Joanne - good point! I've never tried cinnamon sugar buttered popcorn!
Marjie - butter makes everything better
Sparkle - you are so funny!
Pearl - thank you
Kathy - he could just ignore the mushrooms, couldn't he?
Terri - Oh yes, I keep two counts - total days and by the day. Today - 13 more days of school, 2 more Fridays.
Once - oh my goodness, thank you so much! I love your blog. Your garden is to-die-for. I had just convinced myself that I didn't need a Kindle. May have to rethink that one.
Cagrowngirl- I think I'm going to start roasting 2. Same amount of work, double the chicken meat.
Katie - yep, it was a Friday night tradition when my kids were little, one I've continued!
Natashya - Your challenge is to make a lima bean recipe that even I might like!
Donna - Thank you
Haley - a lemon-thyme chicken sounds fabulous.
Kim - I don't think I missed the other stick, but I bet it would have been even better.
Hip - you've got to try them - it's genius.
Grace says
hmm. perhaps i might enjoy mushrooms if they were roasted with a chicken. i'll have to remember that and hold off on giving up on them entirely. 🙂
hip chick says
Oh yum...my mouth is hanging open in delight. Mushroom must have been so good! I've done all the other things...not at the same time...but never the 'shrooms. Yummy!
Kim says
I really love this recipe. I was resistant about all that butter, but it did make for one perfect looking roast chicken and the chicken was so moist. Tyler cracks me up with all that "ultimate" and "perfect". It does work to get your attention though : ) Your chicken looks great. Enjoy your popcorn.
haleysuzanne says
I roast chicken frequently, but I've never included mushrooms. I can't wait to try this out with maybe a lemon-thyme chicken - it sounds marvelous.
Donna-FFW says
This dish looks lovely. You convinced me to try mushrooms next time.
Terri and Bob says
Mmm. Might be the very comfort food I need at this time of year. Are you going nuts too? However, with only 10 days of school left, I am able to hang on!
katiez says
2 sticks of butter!!!
The chicken looks lovely... But, right now I'm craving the buttered popcorn. It was a Friday night tradition at my house as a child....
Real popcorn, real butter and lots of it... and plenty of salt, too.
Joanne says
I think Tyler's solution to the "perfect" problem would be to call the improved version the "ultimate". What is the difference between perfect and ultimate you might ask? No one knows.
Buttered popcorn is good to look forward to, but you know what's even better? Cinnamon sugar buttered popcorn. Just saying.
cagrowngirl says
Will be trying out this roasted chicken. With a growing teenager and a hungry husband....a whole chicken is what I prepare. 🙂 Thanks!!
once in a blue moon... says
oh i am truly gasping... i am not online much, so scrolling back several weeks worth and when i sucked in air i knew i needed to tell you AGAIN how much i love your blog... the cats, food, garden, pics and books could keep me here all day! and thats why i had to unplug, i get lost in pretty places and suddenly time disappears and things fall by the wayside... blogs should come with timers, so the screen goes dark after x amount of minutes and we forced back into our life away from the screen! well yours should at least...
i have found scads of new must make recipes, if i start looking up your books, i will miss another full 8 hours... did you love all the books on your sidebar? have your thought of doing a rating system to share too? i have the same on my sidebar, been reading some excellent books lately, its a huge war between books or blogs in my free time, and i am forcing myself away from the computer for some more balance... but then i miss such great places like yours...
you are an artist in my eye, i love your blog~
ps, i have a kindle, oh yes, you want it... took a while to warm up to it, mine was a surprise gift from my husband, but my favorite feature is you can download the first chapter free of any book... i downloaded 33 last night! talk about a great marketing ploy, the minute i finished a chapter i bot the book and had it in less then minute, in my jammies, at 10pm~
Kathy says
That does sound great. I love mushrooms and seldom use them because my husband doesn't like them. But I think I will make an exception here.
Pearl says
ooh that roasted chicken looks like it came out of a magazine photo 🙂
SparkleFarkle says
HERE, HERE! The audacity of those cookbooky authors who toy with perfection! *having come double-fisted with butter sticks on wooden skewers, holds one out and makes an offer* Candy, little girl???
Marjie says
I never call anything "perfect" either. That would mean I could never try another version. And you are right, butter makes the world go 'round. Pass the buttered popcorn, please!
Kat says
You've convinced me to try the mushrooms. Sounds delicious, and I love a good roasted bird.