Tarragon & Dijon Roasted Chicken

A good old fashioned roast chicken is a beautiful thing.  There are many ways to roast a chicken, and this is one of my favourites.  This is super simple and easy to prepare, and doesn’t need much attending to, as it only needs be basted every half an hour.

Here’s what I used:

1 organic free range corn fed chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

2 heaped tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp of dried tarragon

Pinch of sea salt

4 good twists of black pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees celcius.

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, using a small whisk or fork.  The oil and mustard will thicken nicely, which is exactly what we want.

Coat the entire chicken with the mustardy mixture, inside and out, and even under the skin on the breast.

A Moroccan lady once imparted some pure wisdom onto me, and told me that it is important to start cooking the bird breast-side down in the roasting pan this way as it helps to keep the breast meat juicy.  I suppose it makes perfect sense as the juices generally run downwards.  I have cooked roast chicken in this manner ever since, and it has never failed to be succulent and juicy.  This is very important, as there is nothing worse than dry chicken.

After 30 minutes turn the bird over, and baste liberally with the pan juices.

After another 30 minutes baste the bird liberally again.

In another 30 minutes the bird should be cooked.  Check by sticking a skewer into the fattest part of the leg, and check that the juices run clear.

Cover the bird in foil to keep it warm, and leave it to rest for 10 minutes.

I like to serve this with braised pointed spring cabbage

and perfect roast potatoes…..

………..and of course with love….xoxo