Perfectly Delicious Roast Chicken

Long time, no post!  Where did July go!?!  I thought summer break would be a time to post a lot and get caught up on many things.  It's more of a break from everything in the regular schedule!  Little C and I are having a great time with our summer days, and blogging always gets pushed back.

A recipe in Better Homes and Gardens had caught my eye a few months back.  It was for a Honey Glazed Roasted Chicken.  I didn't really like the roasting method, or the rest of the recipe, but I loved the sound of the honey tarragon glaze.  So, I combined that with an olive oil roast chicken my mother told me about, and came up with a delicious roast chicken - super easy too!

As I have probably mentioned before, I don't really enjoy buying and handling poultry, or any raw meat for that matter, but once I got past the quandary of which organic, grain fed, blah blah blah chicken I needed, it was quite simple.  After rinsing and patting dry the chicken, I rubbed olive oil all over the chicken (inside too).  I felt like this chicken was at the spa, not being prepared for dinner.  Then I sprinkled sea salt and black pepper in the cavity.  This is where my mom's recipe ended, with baking the chicken, uncovered for 4 hours at 275-300.  I took about 10 garlic cloves and put them in and around the chicken.  (Jamie Oliver says you don't have to peel them, so I didn't.)  I also trussed the legs in a non-professional chef kind of way, but it worked.  I baked the chicken for at 300 for 3 1/2 hours, then brushed the honey and tarragon over the chicken and baked for another 20-30 minutes.   When I first put the chicken in, I mixed 1/4-1/2 cup of honey with about a teaspoon of dried tarragon and let that sit until I was ready to glaze the chicken.  The chicken was so golden (photo doesn't do it justice) and smelled wonderful.  I got thumbs up all around the table.  

I have not made a gravy/sauce with this, but I will next time to see what it is like with the honey.   Also, the first time I tried baking the chicken at 275 and it didn't seem to be hot enough, so I had to crank up the heat for the last hour.  It may just be my oven, but I prefer to start with 300 degrees and turn the oven down towards the end if I need to.

Lots more to post, soon, I hope.  I have been baking and crafting, so I have pictures waiting to be blogged about.

Happy August!

Roasted Chicken with Honey Tarragon Glaze