ROAST CHICKEN WITH HERBS

Roast Chicken With Herbs image

Provided by Craig Claiborne And Pierre Franey

Time 1h15m

Yield Six to eight servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

2 2 1/2-to-3-pound chickens, cleaned weight
10 tablespoons olive oil
10 tablespoons corn, peanut or vegetable oil
1 large head of fresh garlic, cut crosswise through the center
6 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
12 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
4 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
2 cups fresh or canned chicken broth
12 whole cloves roasted garlic, see instructions
Salt to taste, if desired
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter

Steps:

Put the chickens in a large bowl and add the olive oil, corn oil, split head of garlic, rosemary and half the thyme sprigs. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand, turning occasionally, for 24 hours.
When ready to cook, scrape the herbs from the chickens. It is not necessary to truss them.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Heat a heavy skillet large enough to hold the chickens in one layer without crowding, or use two skillets. Place the chickens in the skillet or skillets breast side down. Cook until the breasts are nicely browned, about four or five minutes. Turn the chickens on one side and cook until nicely browned, about four to five minutes. Turn the chickens to the opposite side and then on their backs. Brown each part of the chickens as they are turned.
Place the chickens in the oven and bake 30 minutes. Remove the chickens from the skillet and pour off the fat. Add the vinegar (if two skillets are used, use half the remaining ingredients for each skillet), the broth, the roasted garlic cloves, the remaining thyme sprigs tied in a small bundle, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil and cook about two minutes. Swirl in the butter, stirring, and add any liquid that may flow from the inside of each chicken.
Carve the chickens and arrange on dinner plates. Garnish each serving with thyme sprigs and roasted garlic cloves. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 821, UnsaturatedFat 51 grams, Carbohydrate 7 grams, Fat 70 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 41 grams, SaturatedFat 15 grams, Sodium 1015 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams