Provençal Herb-Marinated Roast Chicken

Chef John des Rosiers prefers to marinate his chickens for two days to allow the flavors of the herbs to infuse the chicken. We found that even a four-hour soak yields satisfying results. Roasting the chicken at a high temperature seals in juices and keeps the meat tender. Use sturdy kitchen shears to easily cut the chickens in half.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 4 1/2 ounces meat)

Ingredients

• 2  (3-pound) roasting chickens
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh basil
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 1 1/4  teaspoons  salt
• 1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Remove and discard giblets and necks from chickens. Rinse chickens with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Place chickens on a cutting surface. Split chickens in half lengthwise. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.

Combine rosemary and remaining ingredients except cooking spray. Rub mixture under loosened skin and over breasts and drumsticks. Place chicken halves in large zip-top plastic bags; seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 500°.

Remove chicken halves from bags. Place chicken halves, skin sides up, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 175°. Remove chicken halves from pan; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Discard skin.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

221 (30% from fat)

Fat:

7.3g (sat 1.5g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.4g)

Protein:

35.5g

Carbohydrate:

1.2g

Fiber:

0.5g

Cholesterol:

113mg

Iron:

2.2mg

Sodium:

500mg

Calcium:

31mg