When it first ran in our October 1996 issue, this dish was accompanied by five other roasted-chicken recipes, each one an herb-infused, earthy delight. Of all those recipes, this classic French version proved to be everyone's favorite. It's amazing how the simple combination of rosemary and garlic can so infuse the chicken, making it taste every bit as glorious as it smells when it's cooking in the oven.
The meat was so juicy, tender and flavorful. I did add salt & pepper and about 1 tbsp. softened butter along with the rosemary & garlic. And I added about 3/4 c. chicken broth to the pan and basted the chicken a couple of times. My chicken was just under 5 lb. and took at least 15 minutes longer than prescribed in the recipe to get up to 180 degrees.
This was, by far, the BEST roasted chicken I'd ever made. The cooking method made for a very moist and tender chicken. I did make three additions to the recipe, for personal taste: to the mixture rubbed under the skin, I added 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil. This did not alter the nutrition facts in a very negative way, but I felt better about the recipe having added a LITTLE salt and pepper. Very easy. Very little prep, just follow the directions. The very simple flavors of garlic and rosemary really did infuse the entire chicken and no one at the table thought it was too much garlic. The leftovers were spectacular as well.
