Friends with Strangers

I’m pretty devoted to my chicken recipes, especially a roast chicken.  I normally do roast chicken the Thomas Keller way with a Jaques Pepin twist.  Which simply means I use TK’s recipe but I don’t truss the bird, it is hands down the easiest thing to make, tasty too.  But that all changed last week.  

I am a member of a couple online food ‘communities’.  And like all online communities you make ‘friends’ with people in other cities.  Ignoring your parents and talking to strangers.  For all you know they could have different political opinions and plastic on their couches.

While commenting/chatting, whatever you call electric banter, with one of my total stranger ‘friends’ we discovered that she not only lives 3 blocks from my childhood home but she also happens to be real life friends with my very best friend.  Small world indeed.  Anyhow, we did what any normal electronic friends who have never met before would do, we became Facebook friends.

It’s been a week of blog related mishaps. So it’s a good thing my virtual friend posted that she was roasting an herb stuffed chicken with seasonal vegetables.  Somehow that just sounded like perfection to me and so I resolved to make one.  I knew it was a total winner when our pre-teen son took a bite, his eyes popped open and said ’Mmmm, wow, that’s really good! What did you do differently to the chicken?‘ YES!  I served it with a squash, zucchini, leek casserole the first time, which was also gobbled up, hopefully I can remember what went in to that.  It was so good we made it again the other night.  So thanks to my friend Linda, who I don’t actually know, for changing my chicken gears.  Hopefully one day we can actually meet, in the meantime, we will be enjoying this chicken. 

Herb Stuffed Roast Chicken - Serves 4

1 - 4.5 pound chicken

4 cups herbs on stems, use at least 4 kinds, I used

Rosemary

Tarragon

Globe Basil

Purple Basil

Bee Balm

Oregano

Thyme

Lavender

1 lemon, sliced then cut in half

3-4 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise

Kosher or sea salt

Rinse and pat dry the bird, very well. Dry bird = crispy bird.  Salt and pepper the cavity.  Stuff the bird with the lemons, garlic and herbs, alternating to get a good distribution of flavors.  Truss the bird.  Place the bird breast side up on a roasting pan.  Sprinkle liberally with salt all over.  Place in a 425 oven for 40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165.  Let rest 5-10 minutes.  Carve and serve.

Note:  As usual chicken doesn't photograph so sexy, my apologies.