Roast Chicken with Spice Butter

Who doesn't like a good roast chicken, with its potatoes and vegetables? And if I tell you that there is a utensil that cooks it all by itself and that doesn't make a mess in the oven... Well, what I'm telling you is that with the Emile Henry chicken roaster you can get a crispy, golden chicken that avoids 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 introducing butter between the skin and the meat, together with the Emile Henry ceramic oven, you will have juicy and tender breasts.

The method is very simple. With the help of your fingers, you will start to carefully separate the skin from the meat. You can do this from the neck area. Little by little, you will insert your fingers until you create space. You will put the spiced butter in this space 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 rest of the spiced butter.

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

Finally, I'll let you in on a secret... If you want EXTRA crispy skin, you can brush both the chicken and vegetables with honey and place them (uncovered) in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 220ºC. 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 flake salt
• Grated nutmeg
• Orange and/or lemon zest
• Red, purple and French potatoes, washed
• French onions and shallots
• 1 red onion, peeled and quartered
• Whole carrots, peeled
• A few unpeeled garlic cloves
• Honey (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 ºC with heat from above and below.
2. Remove the chicken from the fridge 1 hour before starting. Dry it well (inside and out) with kitchen paper to remove any moisture it may have. This step is very important to get crispy chicken.
3. In a small bowl, mix the softened butter with the rosemary and thyme leaves, zest, a pinch of salt, pepper and freshly ground nutmeg.
4. Using your hands, make a space between the skin and the meat of the chicken. In this cavity, push the butter mixture, spreading it over all the breasts. Once it is well filled with butter, proceed to massage the outside with the rest of the butter.
5. We put half an orange inside the chicken and some rosemary branches.
6. We cut the red potatoes into quarters, the purple ones in half and the French ones, being so small, we will leave them whole.
7. We massage all the vegetables with olive oil, salt, pepper and spices to taste.
8. Place the chicken in the Emile Henry chicken oven and add all the garnish inside (potatoes, carrots, garlic, onions). Cover the ceramic oven.
9. Bake for approximately 1 hour (35 minutes per kilo). Remove from the oven and uncover. To ensure that the chicken is cooked, insert a kitchen thermometer between the breast and the thigh. It should read approximately 72 ºC.

Emile Henry Ceramic Roaster for Chicken or Turkey , Microplane Master Series Grater , T&G Acacia Wood Board and Pallarès Carbon Steel Kitchen Knife with Boxwood Handle