Succulent Roast Chicken with Oranges and Black Olives

Succulent Poulet Rôti à l’Orange et aux Olives Noires

Serves 4–6

Special Equipment: microplane or zester; food processor or blender

1 organic medium-size orange
4 tablespoons (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
12 leaves flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
4 tablespoons (80g) orange marmalade
18 oil-cured black olives, pitted, divided
1 (5-6 pound / 2.3-2.5kg) free-range roasting chicken
1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock

Prep
✽ Preheat oven to 400° F (200 ° C). Zest and juice the orange, reserving the leftover rinds. Cook

✽ In the food processor, add olive oil, orange zest, garlic, tarragon, parsley, herbes de Provence, 1 tablespoon orange juice, marmalade and 10 olives. Process for 60 seconds until it makes a paste.

✽ Slip your fingers under the skin of the breast meat of the chicken and generously slather some of the mixture inside. Settle the chicken on the roasting rack in the roasting pan, and then slather the entire exterior of the bird with the paste, allowing any extra to slide off to the bottom of the roasting pan. Stuff the cavity with the leftover rinds of the orange. Add the rest of the orange juice, chicken stock and remaining olives to the bottom of the roasting pan.

✽ Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F (74°

✽ Transfer the chicken to a serving platter to rest while you place the roasting pan on the stove over low heat. Add a little water to the pan, and with a wooden spoon, scrape off the bits from the bottom of the pan and stir until you make gravy. Serve with the chicken.

Ideas and suggestions

✽ Instead of water, add wine to the bottom of the pan when making the gravy.

Excerpt from the book French Comfort Food by food writer Hillary Davis – orignallypublished in FrenchEntrée Magazine

Food Photography: Steven Rothfeld

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