SOUTHERN LIVING (^) | 73
Lemon-Thyme
Bistro Chicken
ACTIVE 2 0 MIN. - TOTAL 2 HOURS, 1 0 MIN.
SERVES 6
This is the sort of herby, lemony roast
chicken that you might be served in a
little hidden bistro on a cobblestone
street in Aix-en-Provence (or, perhaps if
you are lucky, at your grandmother’s
table in Tupelo). Serve this with toasty
baguette slices to sop the delicious
lemony pan sauce.
5 Tbsp. (2 1⁄2 oz.) salted butter,
softened
1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon zest, plus
2 Tbsp. fresh juice
(from 1 lemon)
1 1⁄ 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 1⁄ 2 tsp. kosher salt
1 (5-lb.) whole chicken
4 large garlic cloves
2 cups coarsely chopped sweet
onion (about 1 medium onion)
2 cups coarsely chopped carrots
(about 4 large carrots)
2 cups chopped celery
(about 4 stalks)
1 ⁄ 2 cup dry white wine
1 ⁄ 4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh fl at-leaf
parsley
Garnishes: kumquats, sage leaves,
blood orange slices
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Stir
together the butter, pepper, lemon zest,
1 tablespoon of the thyme, and
2 teaspoons of the salt in a small bowl. - Trim the excess fat from the chicken.
Remove and discard the giblets, or save
for another use. Pat the chicken skin very
dry with paper towels. Starting at the
neck of the chicken, gently loosen and lift
the skin from the breasts and thighs
without completely detaching it. Rub the
butter mixture under the skin. Fill the
chicken cavity with the garlic and 1 cup
each of the onion, carrots, and celery. - Loosely pull the chicken legs together,
and tie them with kitchen twine. Tuck
the wing tips behind the chicken. Place
the remaining 1 cup each onion, carrots,
and celery in a rimmed baking pan.
Place a wire rack over the vegetables,
and place the chicken on the rack. Roast
in the preheated oven 15 minutes. - Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Carefully pour wine into pan. (Wine will
steam.) Roast until a meat thermometer
inserted in the breast registers 1 6 0°F
and the skin is golden brown, about 1
hour and 15 minutes, basting chicken
with 1 tablespoon of the oil every 15
minutes. If the chicken skin gets too
dark, cover loosely with aluminum foil. - Remove chicken from the oven, and
let stand at least 15 minutes. Remove
and discard the twine, and remove and
discard vegetables from chicken cavity. - Transfer the pan vegetables and
chicken to a serving platter. Pour the
accumulated pan juices into a small
measuring cup. Stir in the parsley,
lemon juice, and remaining 1⁄2 table-
spoon thyme and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt.
Carve the chicken; serve alongside the
vegetables and sauce.
Find It
Interesting garnishes for
platters abound at your local
plant nursery. Wintertime is
citrus season—seek out
kumquat, satsuma, Key lime,
and Meyer lemon trees. Clip
branches with the fruit
attached to tuck in around
roasts (or arrange them in
vases for the table). Bay
laurel trees, lavender and
rosemary shrubs, and potted
sage in green, purple, and
variegated hues provide
pretty and fragrant additions.