French Roast Chicken

Total Time: 1 hr 21 mins Preparation Time: 1 min Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• 3 lbs broiler-fryer chickens
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 1 small carrot, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon minced shallots or 1/2 tablespoon green onion
• 1 cup brown chicken stock or 1 cup canned chicken broth
• salt
• pepper
• 1 -2 tablespoon softened butter

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 425.
• 2 sprinkle the inside of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and then smear in 1 tablespoon of the butter.
• 3 truss and dry the chicken, and rub the skin with the other half of the butter.
• 4 baste: melt butter in a small saucepan with cooking oil.
• 5 leave on stovetop with a basting brush for later use.
• 6 back to the chicken: place the chicken, breast side up, in a shallow small roasting pan.
• 7 scatter the veggies around it, and set it on the rack in the preheated oven.
• 8 allow the chicken to brown slightly for 15 minutes, turning on the left side after 5 minutes, then onto the right side for the last 5 minutes.
• 9 baste with butter quickly after each turn so that the oven does not lose a lot of heat.
• 10 reduce heat to 350.
• 11 leave chicken on its side, baste every 8 to 10 minutes, using the butter in the bottom of the roasting pan once you have used up all of the baste in your bowl.
• 12 watch and adjust oven heat so that the chicken is noisy, but fat is not burning.
• 13 halfway through estimated roasting time (which is 70-80 minutes; so after about 35 minutes), salt the chicken and turn it onto its other side.
• 14 continue to baste regularly.
• 15 15 minutes before end of estimated roasting time, salt again and flip chicken breast side up.
• 16 continue to baste regularly.
• 17 chicken will be done when drumstick moves easily in socket and juices run a clear yellow.
• 18 let sit on a platter 5 to 10 minutes before carving.
• 19 remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan.
• 20 stir in shallot or onion and cook slowly for 1 minute.
• 21 add stock and boil rapidly over high heat, scraping up bits that are stuck in the pan witha wooden spoon.
• 22 reduce to about 1/2 cup.
• 23 season with salt and pepper.
• 24 off heat just before serving, swirl in the last 1 to 2 tablespoons butter by bits until it is absorbed.
• 25 pour a spoon of the sauce onto the chicken, then pour the rest into a gravy boat and serve with the chicken.