Print 3x5 Recipe Cards
Print this recipe out and cut along the dotted lines to add this 3x5 recipe card to your personal collection.

The Ultimate Roast Chicken
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Ingredients
1 (5 1/2 pound) free-range chicken
1/2 bunch each fresh oregano, thyme, and parsley
1/4 pound unsalted butter, softened
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, halved
1/2 head garlic
1 medium white onion, halved, plus 1 onion
6 strips smoked bacon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dry sherry


1

Copyright 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Serving suggestion: roast potatoes, watercress and gravy.

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Rinse the chicken with cool water, inside and out. Pat it dry with paper towels.
Divide the herbs, keeping 1/2 of them whole. Finely chop the other half. In a
small bowl, mash the softened butter with the chopped herbs, until combined. Rub
the herbed butter under the skin, as well as all over the outside of the chicken.
Season the bird all over with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange,
garlic, 1 onion, and the remaining herbs. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine
to help hold its shape. Place the chicken, breast-side up, in a roasting pan. Put
the remaining onion into the pan, which will help color and flavor the sauce. Lay
the strips of bacon across the breast of the chicken and roast for 25 minutes.
Remove the bacon and baste the chicken with the drippings and cook for another 25

2

Copyright 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

minutes to brown the skin. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer
reads 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (the legs of
the chicken should wiggle easily from the sockets too.) Remove the chicken to a
platter and let stand for 10 minutes, so the juices settle back into the meat
before carving.
Meanwhile, remove the softened onion from the roasting pan. Tilt the pan so the
drippings collect in 1 corner, skimming off as much fat as possible, and leaving
the drippings. Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium heat and
take a wooden spoon to scrape up the flavor from the bottom of the pan. Stir the
flour into the drippings to make a roux-like paste. Pour in the chicken broth in
stages; continue to stir to dissolve the flour evenly to prevent lumps. Stir in
the sherry and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, carve the chicken tableside and squeeze the oranges from the cavity over
the meat.

3

Copyright 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved



4

Copyright 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved