Weeknight Roast Chicken
  1. Position your oven rack in the middle position, place a large dutch oven on it, shut the oven door, and crank the heat up to 450°F.

  2. Mix together the salt and pepper in a small bowl, and grab the melted ghee.

  3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Pull off any extra fat around the open cavity, and trim away any extraneous skin.

  4. Brush the entire surface of the bird with melted ghee. If your chicken is still cold from sitting in the refrigerator, the ghee may clump up a bit upon contact with the bird, but that’s no biggie.

  5. Sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture all over the surface and interior of the bird. Then, massage in the seasoning with your hands.

  6. Tuck the chicken wings behind the back to keep ’em from burning in the oven, and tie the legs together with a piece of kitchen twine.

  7. Place your bird breast-side up in the dutch oven, with the lid ajar in the oven - this helps reduce smoking without the bird steaming.

  8. Roast the chicken until the breast registers 120°F and thighs are 135°F, about 35-45 minutes.

  9. Immediately turn off the oven, leaving the chicken inside until the breast reaches 160°F and thighs are 175°F, about 25 to 35 more minutes. Again, use your meat thermometer to check your bird for readiness.

  10. Remove the chicken from the pan and rest it for 20 minutes.

  11. While the chicken’s resting, whip up a quick pan sauce! Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Leave the extra jus and brown bits in the pan. Then, heat the contents of the skillet over a medium-high burner. Once the liquid starts bubbling, throw in the shallots. Cook the shallots until softened.

  12. Then, pour in the broth and the mustard, scraping up any tasty browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until reduced to ¾ cup.

  13. When the sauce is ready, remove it from the heat. Grab the chilled butter or ghee and slowly whisk it into the sauce along with the lemon juice and minced tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with the sauce!

Course🍽️Main Course

Diets🌾Gluten-free🥩Carnivore...

Category🍗Chicken

Cuisine🇺🇸American

Occasions📆Everyday👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Family Meal

Season🔁Year-round

DifficultyEasy ⏰ 1h

Loading...