Oven Roasted Tarragon & Garlic Chicken with Gravy

Serves 8-10 people (for 4 people use 1 chicken) 

This recipe has to be one of the best tasting and easiest to prepare. With a 20 min preparation time you can sit back and rest your feet with a beautiful glass of white wine while the food roasts in the oven. For my family and I we make sure every month we eat this at least twice. I love to use free range or organic chicken which to me has the best taste, however whatever chicken suits you is just as good. 
I find roasted potatoes/pumpkin/sweet potatoes goes perfect with the gravy. Just coating them in salt, pepper and oil is best as the gravy holds all the flavour you will need. Remember the trick to beautiful roast potatoes every time is to not be afraid of adding lots of olive oil. The potatoes don't actually absorb the oil, but give them a nice crisp outside and soft centre. Leftovers are a must for this dish, you'll definitely want to eat it the next day, so even if my 2 chicken recipe is a lot, it will be eaten again for sure!

Crispy Skinned Tarragon Chicken

Flavoursome Vegetables cooked in Wine and Chicken juices

Homemade Chicken Gravy made from pan juices

Ingredients

• 2 whole chickens
• 4 brown/white onions
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 2-4 carrots
• 2 tsps dried tarragon + extra for seasoning
• 1 cup/250ml white wine
• 1-2 tsps chicken stock
• 2-4 tbsp cornflour
• water
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Butterflied Chickens

Method

1. Butterfly the chickens using kitchen scissors by cutting directly though the middle of the chicken on the breast side. Push the chicken down on your chopping board skin side up and press down to flatten.  Preheat your oven to 180^oC. 
2. Peel and cut your onions in half and place into a baking dish face down. Break up all the garlic cloves leaving the peel on and sprinkle in the dish. Wash or peel the carrots, cut them in half and place in dish. 
3. Add the wine, then sprinkle the chicken stock and tarragon in the dish. 
4. Salt and pepper the underside of the chickens, sprinkling some extra tarragon on also. Place the

   

   Vegetable and Stock Preparation

   chickens skin side up onto the onions and carrots. The vegetables act as a rack keeping the juices underneath the chicken.
5. Drizzle some olive oil onto the skin, using your hands to evenly spread it. This allows the skin to crisp up even more. Salt, pepper and tarragon the skin. 
6. Fill a jug with water and slowly pour into the dish just until the water coats the vegetables and touches the chicken. This will be for your gravy later on, but it also keeps the chicken moist. 
7. Cook in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Depending on the size of your chickens it may take longer. Test them by stabbing the breast or under the wing with a knife, the juices should come out clear. 
8. When cooked place the chickens and all the vegetables on a serving plate. Strain the dishes juices

   

   Ready for The Oven

   into a saucepan and bring to the boil. 
9. Taste stock for flavour, as more water can be added for more gravy or more chicken stock if flavour is lacking. There shouldn't be a problem however.
10. Mix the cornflour in some water. Using a whisk, continuously stir while pouring the cornflour into the stock. It all depends on how thick you want the gravy so go slowly. If it needs more cornflour just mix up another batch. Once the gravy boils it's ready to serve! Enjoy!

Hints!!

Stock Separator

• To remove excess fat from the stock, use a stock separator which can be purchased from any kitchen shop. This definitely comes in handy all the time! You'll never go back to instant gravy again!
• If making this recipe with roast potatoes, putting both dishes in the oven at the same time makes sure both are ready when the chickens are cooked. 
• If you're not a huge fan of garlic, adding half a bulb is just as good. Once you acquire a taste for it, you'll be adding much more!
• The 'Scanpan' brand of dish is the best for roasting anything in the oven. I find that potatoes turn out crispier and the chicken tastier. Scanpan's hold their heat better than normal baking dishes and are completely non-stick and scratch resistant to metal utensils.