Chicken Roasted With Thyme

Chicken Roasted With Thyme

Recipe by Pieter Dijkstra, Chef de Cuisine at A Spice of Life
Photo By Joe Lavine

For Chicken:

Ingredients
  • 1 whole roasting chicken
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • 2 celery stalks, havled lengthwise and crosswise
  • 2 carrots, peeled and halved
  • 1 medium onion, quartered

For Gravy:

Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. To prepare chicken, remove and discard giblets and neck; trim excess fat. Loosen skin and rub melted butter, salt and pepper under skin and over breasts and drumsticks. Place thyme under loosened skin and in cavity.
  3. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Place celery, carrot and onion in a single layer in a roasting pan. Place chicken, breast side up, on top of vegetables.
  4. Bake for 40 minutes.
  5. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake an additional 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees. Remove chicken from pan, tilting slightly to drain juices. Let stand for 15 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; reserve.
  6. To prepare gravy, skim fat from liquid; discard fat. Return vegetables to pan with roasting liquids and thyme and add stock and cream; cook 10 minutes over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Remove vegetables and thyme from pan using a slotted spoon; discard. Combine flour and water in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended, to form a paste; add paste and salt to pan, stirring constantly. Simmer for 1 minute until slightly thick.

Read more: http://www.motherearthliving.com/cooking-methods/cook-holiday-feast-roasted-chicken-thyme.aspx#ixzz2kTmkf1r7