Recipe - Roast Tarragon Chicken

3 pound Chicken
(roasting, broiling
or frying)
2 teaspoon Dry tarragon (or dbl. amt.)
Freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoon Butter; at room temperature
1 small Carrot; cut or sliced up
1 Celery stalk; cut or sliced up
1 small Onion; cut or sliced up
1 tablespoon Safflower oil
2 tablespoon Melted butter
1 tablespoon Minced shallots
1 One half cup Chicken stock

PREHEAT OVEN TO 425F. Lightly pepper the inside of chicken and smear with
butter, then sprinkle with 2 teaspoons tarragon. Truss the chicken, then
dry the outside thoroughly and rub with another 1 tablespoon butter all
over the skin.

TO BROWN THE CHICKEN: Set the chicken on a rack, breast side up in the
roasting pan, place in the oven for 5 minutes. Turn on its left side and
baste quickly with the oil and butter, return to the oven for another 5
minutes. Turn on its right side for another 5 minutes, basting as before.

TO ROAST THE CHICKEN: Leave the chicken on its right side. Reduce oven
temperature to 350F. Strew the vegetables under the chicken and baste it
again. Leave it for a total of 1520 minutes, basting it at least every 10
minutes. Salt the chicken, turn it on its other side, and cook another
1520 minutes, basting at least every 10 minutes. Turn the chicken breast
up and continue basting every 10 minutes until it is done.

TO TELL IF THE CHICKEN IS DONE: Prick the thickest part of the drumstick
with a fork. If the juices come out clear yellow, it is done. If not, roast
another 5 minutes and test again. As a final check, lift the chicken and
drain the juices from its vent into the pan; if the last few drops are
clear yellow, it is definitely done. Put the chicken on a warm platter,
remove the trussing string, and let it sit at least 510 minutes before
carving so that the juices will not retreat into the tissues. It can wait a
good 30 minutes with foil over it. Remove the vegetables and all but 2
tablespoons of fat from the pan, leaving as much of the brown juices as you
can. Stir in the minced shallot and cook 23 minutes. Add the stock, 2
teaspoons of tarragon and boil rapidly over high heat. As the juices boil,
scrape up coagulated juices (deglaze the pan) with a wooden spoon. Let the
liquid reduce to about One half cup. Carve the chicken at this point unless you
are going to carve it at the table. Any juices may be added to the sauce.
Just before serving, swirl the final 2 tablespoons of butter into the hot
sauce until it has been absorbed and lightly thickened. Dribble the sauce
on the chicken, sprinkle with minced parsley.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini