Delicious and flavourful, this tarragon roasted chicken and potatoes is two meals in one. Enjoy the chicken and potatoes for one meal, then remove the left-over chicken to use in sandwiches and/or on a salad plate.
I have to tell you that I tried really hard to make this roast chicken look as delicious in photos as it tastes in real life. but fact is, roast chicken is just not all that pretty. I hope you will look beyond it’s somewhat homely looks and give this one a try! It’s one of my absolute favourite ways to enjoy chicken and it’s two (or more) meals in one!
Enjoy this delicious and flavourful roast chicken and crispy potatoes for a first meal, then remove the remaining chicken to use for sandwiches and/or as a lovely addition to a salad plate dinner then next night. As this chicken roasts, it infuses the meat with the lovely flavours of tarragon, lemon and garlic. It’s delicious, assuming you like tarragon, of course :) If you don’t feel free to substitute thyme, rosemary or sage, or a combination of the three.
This chicken cooks relatively quickly in a hot oven and does make a little smoke as it cooks. Be sure your room is well ventilated as it cooks. Look for a large a chicken as you can find, to ensure lots of left-overs.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Chicken – you will start with a whole chicken, any size.
Tarragon – I love tarragon, but if you aren’t a fan, you can substitute any herb or combination of fresh herbs you enjoy.
Lemon – you will need to start with whole lemons for this chicken.
Recipe Tips
My smoke detector goes off every time I roast a chicken with high heat, so as mentioned above, be sure to run your fan or open a window while your chicken cooks. If you’d rather not deal with smoke and a slightly messy oven, simply roast chicken at 375 or 400 F. for a longer period of time.
Making Ahead, Storing and Freezing
You can make this chicken ahead, wrap tightly and refrigerate. I like to take the chicken off the bone if refrigerating more than a couple of hours.
You can freeze the chicken once sliced off the bone up to 2 months.
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Get the Recipe: Tarragon Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, (as large as you can find)
- 1/2 garlic bulb, halved horizontally
- 2 sprigs fresh tarragon , plus 1 Tbsp chopped tarragon
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 shallot, finely chopped (or onion)
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 lemon
- Small white and/or red potatoes, halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Rub chicken inside and out with the garlic half, then place inside the chicken cavity. Place the tarragon sprigs inside the chicken cavity as well.
- In a small bowl, stir together butter, shallot and chopped tarragon. Season chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper, then loosen skin of chicken near cavity with hands and spread the tarragon butter mixture under the skin, between the skin and the chicken meat.
- Squeeze juice from the half lemon over the chicken, then place the squeezed lemon in the chicken cavity.
- Place chicken into a greased skillet or baking pan. Arrange halved small potatoes around the outside of the chicken and season then with salt and pepper (if you place them skin down as much as possible, they will get lovely crispy and golden!).
- Place in pre-heated oven and roast until the skin is deep golden and crispy and the meat temperature in the breast area reaches 165° , about 1 - 1 1/2 hours (depending on the size of your chicken).
More Whole Chicken Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
OMGoodness!! :-)
This looks so tasty!
Chicken is one of our favorite meats to eat.
Love it smoked, baked, broiled, fried, grilled….etc…..it’s all good.
First off, your pictures are wonderful, the bird looks very tasty, great job Jennifer!
I really like using fresh herbs anytime I can, I do notice a big difference in taste.
The beauty of cooking a good size bird is all the leftovers…..hmmm, maybe not too much leftover in my household! LOL!!
May be making TWO! ;-)
Pinned!
Thanks Dalila and I completely agree! I always buy the biggest bird I can find and if I can’t eat up all the left-overs, I freeze them for later :)
Ooh, I’m definitely trying this.
I don’t have access to fresh herbs so how much Tarragon (dried) should I use? And about how much (in teaspoons) would a “half a garlic bulb” be since I just stock the jarred minced garlic?
Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth! I generally use 1/4-1/3 as much dried herbs to fresh. As for the garlic, it would really be just a small amount if using jarred. Put a small dab on a piece of parchment and rub it on. Hope that helps :)
Roasted chicken is hard to shoot, but if anyone can make it look gorgeous, it is definitely you! This looks FAB, Jennifer! Love the simple, but delicious flavors going on here. I bet this makes the tastiest leftovers too! Cheers, friend!
Thanks Cheyanne :) And yes, I like the left-overs just as much as the original dish!
Gorgeous meal ! I make roast chicken stuffed with lemon almost everyday Sunday … this is by far the most classic and beloved Sunday lunch in France. But I never thought of tarragon, and it sounds so lovely ! I will definitely try it next time, thanks so much for the inspiration ! And Happy Canada Day weekend !
Thanks :) I think you will really enjoy it, Audrey. The tarragon is just so lovely with the chicken and makes great chicken salad, too! Have a wonderful long weekend, too and Happy Canada Day!
Too funny ! I just finished saying on your FB page that you make the most gorgeous mouth-watering dishes and yes, you’ve managed to make roast chicken look stunning! I will pick up a chicken at Nicholyn this weekend and make this recipe! Happy Canada Day!
Thanks Robyn and yes, I think you’ll enjoy this chicken. Great flavour! Have a great weekend :)
I’m totally digging into this in a heartbeat. It’s on!
Thanks so much :)
You can never go wrong with a classic like roast chicken. Love the lemon and tarragon here! :)
Thanks Laura :)
I always feel quite “French” when I use or enjoy Tarragon. This sounds fantastic. Tarragon and lemon are such a lovely flavor combination.
Yes, it’s very French, Chris and like much French food, simple and delicious!
We love roast chicken at our house Jennifer! All the times I’ve made it, I’ve never tried it with tarragon. I always use tarragon in my chicken salad though. Can’t wait to give it a go.
This chicken makes delicious chicken salad, Mary Ann and you don’t have to add any tarragon, as it’s infused right in to the meat!
This is probably the prettiest chicken I’ve ever seen! There’s nothing better than a good roasted chicken like this one.
Thanks Sara and I agree :)
I love tarragon! But I’ve never put it on a roasted chicken. Sounds like a great idea :) p.s. I think the photos look lovely!
Thanks Sarah :) If you are a tarragon lover, you will love it!
My husband wants to come and live with you Jennifer, he would eat chicken every day if he could, and you are the master — I love tarragon, too, so this has to happen here soon. :) Pinning and sharing!
Haha. Yes, he’d definitely get his fill of chicken :) Thanks Sue!
I love a good roast chicken and I bet the tarragon and lemon give it a wonderful flavor. You can do anything in that skillet!!! Sharing and pinning.
Thanks Tricia and yes, my skillet is my favourite cooking pan, for sure :)