Roasted Chicken with Herbes de Provence Butter

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Oh, hello…..

Beautiful yellow daffodils and bright forsythia are popping up all around Newport’s landscape signaling that it is officially spring, however, it still feels quite chilly - and I just can’t stop making comfort food to warm up our house and our souls. ;) So, why not combine comfort food and the arrival of spring with a sprinkling of our classic French herb blend, ‘Herbes de Provence’ on a roasted chicken dish and hope for the weather to warm us up the sooner the better!

This delicious Roasted Chicken with Herbes de Provence butter was inspired by Melissa Clark and you can find the full recipe in her book, ‘Dinner in French’. Of course, I modified the Herbes de Provence Butter to include our aromatic blend (our sea salt, French Tarragon, Summer Savory, Mediterranean Oregano, Marjoram, and Rosemary and Thyme) and a few other essential ingredients. This is the recipe I will add below on this post. For the main roasted chicken recipe, definitely visit Melissa Clark’s cook book or use your favorite way to roast chicken and add some of this butter all over the chicken and under the skin - it comes out so amazingly delicious and fills your home with an herbaceous aroma.

Here are some other ways to use our ‘Herbes de Provence’:

  • Combine with olive oil and brush over fish or pork before grilling or roasting.

  • My favorite…Ratatouille. It’s one of my most loved pages from my first Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

  • Toss root vegetables with our ‘Herbes de Provence and olive oil before roasting.

And makes a great addition to quiches, leek tarts, and don’t forget your potato side dishes. Bon Appetit! Let me know how you enjoy our ‘Herbes de Provence’ in the comments.




Herbes de Provence Butter

(I used this for roasted chicken, but would be a great addition to fish or spread on grilled bread to serve alongside a bouillabaisse.)

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature)

  • 4 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced (I grated half and minced the other…we love garlic around here.)

  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

  • 1/2 teaspoon rosemary leaves

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (I crushed our flaky sea salt)

  • 1 teaspoon of our ‘Herbes de Provence’ blend.

  • 1 lemon finely grated

  • 1 tsp black pepper

  1. In a medium bowl, mash together the butter, garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary (and/or mix of herbs), fine sea salt, Newport Sea Salt ‘Herbes de Provence’, lemon zest, and black pepper. Rub three-quarters of the mixture all over the chicken, including under the skin (reserve the remaining herb butter for serving.)

  2. Place the chicken, breast-up, on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate it, uncovered, for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. (I was able to only have an hour with the butter herb mixture and it was still so good. However, next time I will plan better.)

  3. Roast your chicken your favorite way….:) Prepare a simple green salad with an easy lemon vinaigrette.

  4. Prepare to delight your family/guests or just yourself. :) Bon Appétit!

Hello Spring Time!