Roasted Chicken with Spiced Butter

Who doesn't love a good roast chicken, with its potatoes and little vegetables? And what if I tell you there's a tool that does it by itself and also keeps the oven from getting dirty... So, as I said, with the Emile Henry chicken roasting oven you can achieve a crispy, golden chicken and avoid the dreaded grease all over the oven.

There are thousands of roast chicken recipes, I know… But how many of them leave the breasts juicy? With this technique of slipping butter between the skin and the meat, in Set with the Emile Henry ceramic oven, you'll end up with juicy, tender breasts.

The method is very simple; with the help of our fingers we'll begin to carefully separate the skin from the meat. We can start from the neck area. Little by little we'll insert our fingers to create space. In this gap we'll put the spiced butter and spread it over all the breasts. Remember to stretch the skin after finishing. The next step will be to massage the outside of the chicken with the remaining spiced butter.

Don't forget to coat all the vegetables with olive oil, spices and season with salt and pepper to taste. Massage well and they're ready to roast.

Finally, I'll tell you a secret… If you want EXTRA crispy skin, you can brush both the chicken and vegetables with honey and put (uncovered) in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 220 ºC. This step is totally optional but I love the result.

Emile Henry ceramic oven for roasting chicken or turkey

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cleaned (1,800 kg)
• 125g butter at room temperature
• A few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A pinch of flaky salt
• Grated nutmeg
• Zest of orange and/or lemon
• Red, purple and fingerling potatoes, washed
• Pearl onions and shallots
• 1 red onion, peeled and quartered
• Whole carrots, peeled
• A few cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• Honey (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 ºC, top and bottom heat.
2. Remove the chicken from the fridge 1 hour before starting. Pat it dry well with kitchen paper (inside and out) to remove any moisture it may have. This step is very important to achieve a crispy chicken.
3. In a small bowl mix the softened butter with the rosemary and thyme leaves, zests, a pinch of salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
4. Using your hands create a gap between the skin and the meat of the chicken. Into this cavity push the butter mixture, distributing it over all the breasts. Once well filled with butter, proceed to massage the exterior with the remaining butter.
5. Insert half an orange into the cavity of the chicken and a few sprigs of rosemary.
6. Cut the red potatoes into quarters, the purple ones in half and leave the fingerlings whole since they are so small.
7. Massage all the vegetables with olive oil, salt, pepper and spices to taste.
8. Place the chicken in the Emile Henry chicken roaster and arrange all the garnish inside it (potatoes, carrots, garlic, onions). Cover the ceramic roaster.
9. Roast for about 1 hour (35 min per kilo). Remove from the oven and uncover. To ensure the chicken is done, insert a kitchen thermometer between the breast and the thigh; it should read about 72 ºC.

Emile Henry ceramic oven for roasting chicken or turkey, Microplane Master series grater, T&G acacia wood cutting board and Pallarès carbon steel kitchen knife with boxwood handle