Herb-Roasted Spatchcock Chicken Recipe - Tasting Table

"This herb-roasted spatchcock chicken recipe is a full Sunday dinner in one package. From the perfectly cooked, herb-infused, crispy-skinned chicken and the glistening grapefruit-brightened roasted fennel and potatoes, which are nearly collapsing on themselves, to the buttery brioche stuffing, this is a French-inspired celebration to elevate a holiday meal or enjoy on a lazy weekend day. According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, this dish takes inspiration from French country cooking in its purest form."

"Butter, herbs, and salt are used liberally, the cooking is low and slow, giving every ingredient a chance to cook to buttery perfection, and the result is a festival of colorful, succulent chicken, vegetables, and stuffing. It's both crunchy and soft, sweet and savory, a melange of textures and flavors that is worthy of a special occasion but that feels wholly comforting at the same time."

"This is the kind of dish you put in the oven on a Sunday afternoon to get everyone around the table for dinner. And as everyone cuts into their portions, pouring leftover gravy on their slices of herb-speckled chicken, and spooning every last slice of roasted fennel and juicy grapefruit segment, there is nothing but the sound of clanking cutlery and contented sighs of pleasure."

The recipe pairs a spatchcocked whole chicken rubbed with softened butter, minced garlic, herbes de Provence, salt, and black pepper with a buttery brioche stuffing made from brioche cubes, shallots, eggs, chicken stock, butter, and parsley. Baby potatoes and fennel bulbs are tossed with olive oil, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper, roasted until nearly collapsing, and finished with grapefruit segments for brightness. The chicken roasts until herb-speckled, crispy-skinned, and succulent. Pan drippings combined with chicken stock and butter form an au jus. Optional garnishes include fresh thyme and parsley. The technique emphasizes low-and-slow cooking, liberal butter and herbs, and a balance of crunchy and soft textures.

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