Lavender Lemon Chicken

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons dried lavender
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 large onion
• 1 (4 -7 lb) broiler-fryer chickens, whole
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 -2 tablespoon flour

Recipe

• 1 in a small bowl or mortar and pestle coarsely crush lavender and thyme. then stir together with butter, zest, salt and pepper until well combined.
• 2 spoon mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a 4-inch log. chill butter log until firm, at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days.
• 3 preheat oven to 400°f.
• 4 rinse chicken and pat dry.
• 5 slice herb butter and reserve 2 tablespoons for sauce.
• 6 slide hand under skin of chicken breast to loosen skin from meat. insert about 3/4's of the butter under the skin and spread the rest over the outside of chicken.
• 7 truss chicken. place the chicken in a flameproof roasting pan.
• 8 slice the onion into large pieces and scatter around the chicken.
• 9 roast bird in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (be careful not to touch bone) registers 170° to 175°f.
• 10 it will take roughly 55-65 minutes for a four pound chicken and 8 minutes more per every pound over that.
• 11 lift chicken and tilt, emptying any juices from cavity into roasting pan.
• 12 remove the chicken to a platter, cover loosely with foil.
• 13 sauce: add vermouth to pan. place pan over high heat; bring vermouth to boil, scraping up any browned bits and onions.
• 14 strain the mixture into cup with pan juices.
• 15 spoon fat off and pour back into the pan. add reserved 2 tablespoons herb butter and bring to a simmer - or melt butter before adding to pan.
• 16 when butter has completely melted add flour and whisk until smooth.
• 17 serve sauce with chicken.