Herb Roasted Chicken

Impress a loved one with this Executive chef Laura Frankel's recipe for two.

By LAURA FRANKEL
Dinner 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Dinner 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Herb Roasted Chicken(Serves 2-3)
Roasted chicken with a crackling skin and luscious meat is the little black dress (or male equivalent) of the food world. It goes with everything. You can dress it up or down depending upon how you serve and garnish it. Do not even think of substituting boneless-skinless chicken breasts for a whole chicken. Boneless-skinless breasts are fine for some recipes, but a whole chicken just tastes more savory and succulent. Serve this fragrant chicken with a big salad and you will be a star.
Ingredients-1 whole chicken about 3 ½ pounds -½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley-3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme-1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary plus 1 sprig -Juice and zest of 1 lemon plus 1 whole lemon-Juice and zest of 1 orange-2 tablespoons cracked black pepper corns-1 bulb of garlic cut in half horizontally-¼ cup Extra Virgin olive oil-Kosher Salt
Pan Jus-½ cup white wine-1/3 cup chicken stock
Directions1. Preheat the oven to 450. Rinse the chicken thoroughly. Pat dry and place on a roasting rack. Place all the fresh herbs (except for the whole rosemary sprig), zest and juices and black pepper in a small bowl and whisk together.
2. Use your hands to thoroughly rub the chickens inside the cavity and out with the herb mixture. Stuff the lemon, whole rosemary sprig, garlic and ½ onion into the cavity of the chicken. Tuck the wings under the body of the chicken tie the legs together (this will help keep the shape a little nicer).
3. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes at high heat. Turn down the oven temperature to 250 F and slow roast (occasionally brushing on more of the herb mixture) until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 160 ( about 1 hour). Remove from the chicken and loosely cover with foil. Allow the chickens to rest before carving.
 4. To carve the chicken, (You CAN do this part!) cut the string off of the chicken and remove the vegetables and lemon. Reserve the garlic and discard the rest. Cut down the center along the breast bone on both sides. Remove the breast bone. Pull the chicken apart slightly to expose the back bone. Cut along both sides of the back bone and remove it. Cut the birds into quarters and place a serving platter. Reserve the pan juices.
5. Skim off the fat from the pan juices. Add the pan juices back to the roasting pan and place the pan over medium heat. Squeeze the garlic cloves into the pan. Mash the garlic with the back of a spoon to puree it. Add wine and chicken stock and reduce the mixture until the jus has slightly thickened.