method is exactly the same. Those dozens or hundreds of
chicken recipes you can find online for herb-rubbed this or
lemon that? They’re really all the same old roast chicken
with a few flavors added to it. What that means is that once
you understand what makes chicken good (proper roasting
technique, not overcooking the breasts, allowing the skin to
render), how you flavor the bird is entirely up to you.
To get you started, I put together a little chart that shows
you how to apply various flavors to your bird, along with a
few specific recipe variations that I enjoy. Of course you
can mix and match all of these flavoring agents as desired.
In the chart, I haven’t listed any salt, because in the two
basic recipes that follow, the chicken is seasoned separately
with salt. But you can just as easily add the salt directly to
any herb rub or spice mixture to season and flavor the bird
in one step.
FLAVORING
AGENTHOW TO APPLY
Tender,
Leafy Herbs
(parsley,
basil,
tarragon,
cilantro, etc.)Finely chop ½ cup
fresh herb leaves by
hand or in a food
processor. Combine
with 1 to 2
tablespoons olive oil