Here’s something really tasty and uplifting; the perfect roast chicken recipe with a smaller than usual carbon footprint.

Those of you who are environmentally conscious will love the fact that you turn the oven off halfway through the normal cooking cycle – and no, you don’t end up with a half-baked health hazard.

And if you’re thinking; “I’m definitely not using butter, it’s SO unhealthy”…get over it!

The French use butter in cooking all the time and they’re not unhealthy, so don’t be tempted to substitute butter with low fat alternatives such as – ‘I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter’ (Er, yes I can). Butter is essential for creating the fabulous fragrant juices that you’ll spoon over the end result.

Just don’t eat too much if it makes you nervous.

Note at the end….

Butter-Roast Chicken with Tarragon, Honey & Garlic.

CHICKEN ROASTED with HONEY, TARRAGON & GARLIC

(Serves 4 – 6)

Ingredients:

One 3 ½ lb / 1.6 kilo free range organic chicken

1oz / 29g of softened butter

2 tablespoons of clear honey

A sprig of fresh tarragon

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Coarsely ground black peppercorns and sea salt

Action:

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C

Stuff the chicken cavity with garlic and tarragon

Smear the skin of the chicken with the softened butter

Drizzle the honey over the chicken and sprinkle generously with sea salt and ground black pepper

Place the chicken in a roasting pan and roast for 45mins

Turn the oven off and leave the chicken inside for another 45mins

Do NOT be tempted to open the oven during the last 45mins

There you have it; a succulent fragrant chicken that’s best eaten warm with plain basmati rice and the juices spooned over. I like to serve it with a simple green Romaine /Cos lettuce salad with fresh herbs and a citrusy dressing.

Note:

Everything in the US seems big, bigger, biggest – so if you’re planning on doing this with a heftier chicken, use your calculator and adjust cooking times accordingly.

However, I’ve found that with a larger chicken you need to leave the oven on for slightly more that half the cooking time – for instance with a 4.5lb / 2kilo chicken I’d turn the oven off after about 70mins. Best if you can find a smaller chicken and follow this recipe precisely; that way you can’t go wrong.