I owe Tarragon an apology. Back before I began to blog, when just learning to cook, there came a recipe that Tyler and I wanted to try. It was “Turkey Tarragon”, made in a Crock-Pot, and was well beyond my comfort zone. Fast forward to dinner, and we could literally not stomach this dinner. It went in the trash. I am not kidding. It was just disgusting. Tonight I gave tarragon another shot with a Weeknight Roast Chicken.

So, the other night, Tyler, Sam and I were watching an America’s Test Kitchen 20th Anniversary special on PBS. The cast broke down the top twenty favorite recipes from viewers and showcased the two decade long recipes. The #1 recpe was this Weeknight Roast Chicken, which boasted it’s tarragon-lemon sauce. Now, I was skeptical, as my last encounter with this herb was literally back in 2013, honestly. However, I broke down and trusted these cooking experts and made this dinner. Y’all, this recipe was SO easy and rediculously quick, with a result that blew my mind.

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Published April 12, 2022
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Why this recipe is special

There are many recipes where I use a whole chicken, however this recipe is different as they do not cut the chicken and lay it flat in the baking pan to cook. The result of this recipe is a perfectly cooked whole chicken. A no-fail recipe that leaves the chicken, breast meat and all, moist and juicy and by no means dry.

The magic to this chicken, while skipping a brine, is by using a pre-heated skillet to cook the chicken. Just make sure the large skillet you are using is rated for oven use as it will be cooked at 450 degrees.

Tarragon-Lemon sauce

I want to eat this sauce on everything. It was SO good, and I thought I hated tarragon! To make this sauce shine, make sure to use the juice from a lemon so it is fresh and gives the best flavor. Certainly, the next time we have this Weeknight Roast Chicken with Tarragon-Lemon pan sauce for dinner, I will have to not only double the sauce but additionally make two chickens.

Now, if you are like me and did not have any fresh tarragon in your spice cabinet, rest assured that Amazon does, or check your local grocery store in the spice isle.

Weeknight Roast Chicken Recipe

Ingredients for Weeknight Roast Chicken

1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 (3-4-pound) whole chicken
1 Tbsp oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp tarragon
2 tsp juice from 1 lemon

Directions for Weeknight Roast Chicken

1. Place an oven safe 12-inch saucepan in the middle rack of an oven and then preheat to 450 degrees. Keeping the skillet in the oven until fully preheated.

2. In a small bowl, combine the salt and pepper and then set aside.

3. On a cutting board, pat the whole chicken dry with paper towels and then rub the surface with oil.

4. Sprinkle the entire surface of the whole chicken with the salt and pepper blend, then tie the legs back with twine and tuck the wing tips behind the back.

5. Transfer the whole chicken onto the now hot 12-inch saucepan, skin side up and roast the chicken until the thigh registers 135 degrees and the breast registers 120 degrees, around 25-35 minutes.

6. Turn off the oven and leave the chicken in the saucepan in the oven, or until the breast registers 160 degrees and the thighs register 175 degrees.
7. Remove the saucepan from the oven and then place it carefully on the stovetop, keeping a kitchen towel resting over the handle to not accidentally grab the hot pan.

8. Then transfer the whole chicken to a cutting board to rest, around 20 minutes.

Finally, carve the chicken and serve with the Tarragon-Lemon pan sauce.
In addition to this Tarragon-Lemon sauce and roasted chicken, we also had stuffing and sauteed zucchini and onion.

Tarragon-Lemon Pan Sauce Directions

1. While the chicken rests, remove all but 1 Tbsp of fat from the skillet where the whole chicken was cooking.

2. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and then add the diced shallot and cook until soft, around 2 minutes.

3. Then stir in the chicken broth and mustard, using a spatula to scrape up any browned bits on the saucepan so they get incorporated to the sauce.

4. Cook the sauce until it is reduced, around 3 minutes.

5. Remove the pan from the heat and then add butter and whisk to blend.

6. Finally add the tarragon and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and then set aside for serving over the chicken.

Additionally, the Tarragon-Lemon pan sauce tasted amazing with the chicken stuffing and zucchini. This sauce has won my kids over, won me over, and my husband said it was an amazing tasting meal. This will for sure be a regular dinner in my Scratch Kitchen!
~Monica

Recipe for Weeknight Roast Chicken

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