This roast chicken is slathered with a tarragon butter and roasted. The herb infused butter is spread all over the chicken and under the skin for a moist and tender chicken full of flavour.
Roasting a chicken is so easy too but I have started to play with various seasonings. It’s a golden time for the Chief Taster! He’s yet to declare his favourite but might be holding back to see what I do next. Since the stores had tarragon, it was time for a tarragon roasted chicken. As this chicken roasts the meat is infused with the delicious flavours of the garlic and tarragon.
I’ve recently started roasting a whole chicken for the Chief Taster each week as not only is it cheaper than buying a tray of chicken breasts for him, I can make additional meals with the left-over chicken. If the dogs are lucky, they get the rest. They have their own home cooked food though and are thoroughly spoilt.
Roast Chicken Cooking Tips
- Pat the chicken dry with kitchen towel for crispier skin.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking to sit at room temperature. This helps the chicken cook evenly and quicker.
- The tarragon needs to be fresh and not dried. If you don’t have tarragon, fresh thyme would be a good replacement.
- You could add lemons to this by either adding lemon juice to the butter mixture and placing sliced lemons on and inside the chicken.
- Roast a chicken at a high heat for a moist chicken. A slow low heat will dry it out.
- Basting the chicken helps keep the meat moist. Use a spoon or turkey baster to scoop up the juices and drizzle over the chicken.
- Resting the chicken is important to let the meat juices redistribute through the meat.
Easy Tarragon Roast Chicken
butter, garlic & tarragon 
butter mixed 
butter slathered over chicken
How Long to Roast Chicken
Cooking times may vary between ovens but the general rule of thumb to roasting a chicken is 45 minutes per kg, plus an additional 20 minutes.
Try These On The Side:
Chicken goes well with most vegetables but green and leafy vegetables are a great side dish to a roast chicken.
What To Do With Leftover Roast Chicken
Use any leftover over roast chicken in low carb wraps, salads, as an omelette filling, make a chicken mini pie or a spicy curry chicken salad.
Tarragon Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 1.8kg)
- ¼ cup butter, unsalted softened
- 2 tablespoons tarragon, fresh chopped
- 3 cloves garlic peeled & chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F degrees
- Lightly butter a large roasting tin.
- Mix the butter with the garlic, tarragon, salt and pepper
- Remove the string from the chicken legs and the giblets from the cavity (if there).
- Loosen the skin near the cavity and spread half the butter underneath it, on top of the meat.
- Slather the remaining butter over the chicken breast and legs.
- Place the chicken in the roasting tin and roast for 1 hour 15 minutes
- Baste the chicken with juices every 20 minutes for a moist meat. You could opt to baste just once half way through roasting.
- Check that the chicken is cooked by inserting a knife into the thickest part of the thigh. Clear juices indicate the chicken is cooked. If they are pink, roast for longer.
- Remove from the oven and cover with foil. Rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
- Spoon the pan juices over the chicken or use it to make a gravy
Notes
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.
[…] better than a quick dish with minimal fuss for dinner! The roasted asparagus is great with my tarragon roasted chicken or salmon & broccoli […]