Time 25m Yield 6-8 serving(s) Number Of Ingredients 9 Steps:
In a bowl, cream together butter, half the tarragon and all the lemon rind; set aside. Wipe chicken inside and out and pat dry. Sprinkle cavity lightly with remaining tarragon and salt and pepper to taste. Working from the neck of the chicken, gently but firmly slide hand between skin and flesh to separate, careful not to tear the skin. Using hands, evenly spread creamed mixture in the space between the skin and the breast meat. Pull skin back in place. Truss legs and wings with string. Brush with melted buter. Place onion, carrot and celery in bottom of roasting pan. Set chicken on top and pour in stock. Cover loosly with foil and roast in 400F oven about 1 1/4 hours or until tender; baste with pan juices every 20 minutes. With each basting turn to another side, first breast down, then on one sider, then the other. Finish cooking with breast up and remove foil during last 10 minutes of cooking (chicken should be well browned). Remove from pan and let cool. Refrigerate before carving. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.
Time 1h40m Yield 4 servings Number Of Ingredients 7 Steps:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Sprinkle the inside of the chickens liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff each bird with 3 sprigs thyme, 2 cloves garlic, the bay leaf, onion and lemon. As the chickens cook, this will help keep them moist and also flavor the bird from the inside. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together of each bird, and then tuck the wing tips underneath each body so it cooks evenly. Place the birds on a roasting rack over a roasting tray then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the joint between the leg and thigh registers 165 degrees F, approximately 1 hour more. When the chicken is done, the skin will be crispy and golden and the juices of the chicken will run clear. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
