Boursin roast chicken with potatoes, beets, and leeks
Probably the moistest roast chicken I've ever made!
Hello! Welcome back! Skip all the rambling and scroll right to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe only.
Roast chicken is one of those things that’s so simple and ubiquitous, it almost begs the question: does the world need another roast chicken recipe? But after testing an idea to flavor a chicken with Boursin, which led to the juiciest, most moist, most flavorful roast chicken I’ve ever made at home, the answer was 100% yes.
Tell me more
I love Boursin as a little appetizer or snack with some crackers or chips, but I think it’s a powerhouse when it comes to kitchen shortcuts. Herby, garlicky, creamy, salty — it’s got it all. Meaning when you use it, you can immediately subtract a bunch of other ingredients while still achieving incredible flavor. And this recipe, my friends, only has six ingredients. Six! I, for one, am always down to reduce the number of ingredients and steps in the kitchen.
To make it, we’re going to use Boursin kind of like a compound butter, smearing it between the skin of your chicken and the breast, as well as all over the rest of the chicken. Because it’s sort of trapped in that in-between space, it has no where to go but inside the meat, flavoring as it cooks. The result is seriously out-of-this-world good.
To round out the meal, we’re also cooking thinly-sliced beets and potatoes, as well as some leeks, along with the chicken. They get caramelized as the chicken roasts, creating a sweet-meets-savory side dish that tastes just soooo good with that garlic & herb Boursin flavor.
Before we start
Similar to last week’s revere-seared ribeye recipe, we’re going to be using a baking sheet with a wire rack placed over the top. The veggies go below, the chicken goes above, and everything cooks in perfect harmony. If you don’t have a rack, I don’t think it’s as detrimental to this week’s recipe. Just place the chicken directly on top of the veggies.
As with pretty much all of my recipes that involve meat/fish, I think an instant-read thermometer is going to be your best friend. That is especially true when roasting a whole chicken.
I use golden beets in the photos for this recipe, but regular ol’ beets work just fine. I chose golden because they were closer in diameter to the potatoes, and I wanted all the veggies to be uniform-ish.
I don’t truss my chickens when roasting them. This started because I never had kitchen twine on hand. Since then, I’ve roasted chickens both trussed and untrussed and never noticed much of a difference. If you prefer to truss, go right ahead.
I love to serve this with a simple arugula salad — arugula, good extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, flaky salt, and fresh ground pepper — and a big spoonful of Dijon mustard. The salad is a nice, fresh counterpart to the tender cooked veggies and the meat, and I just think Dijon is an absolute must with a roast chicken.
Also before we start
Just want to say hello and welcome to all the new subscribers who have made their way to my newsletter via my lemon pepper chicken cutlets with Greek salad that went viral on Instagram. Thank you for being here, for trusting me in your kitchen, and for supporting my work. I am so happy so many of you made that recipe and loved it, and I hope you find more recipes you love here every week and in the archives! My inbox is always open, so if you have a suggestion or a comment, feel free to email me at hellosaturdaytable@gmail.com.
Now, the recipe
Serves: 4
Cook time: About an hour, give or take, depending on how long it takes your chicken to cook, plus time for chicken to come to room temp before cooking
Ingredients:
1 3-lb whole chicken
1 lb potatoes, thinly sliced (about 3 small)
1 lb beets, thinly sliced (about 3 small)
1 large leek, thinly slicedÂ
1/2 cup olive oil, plus 2 tbspÂ
1 package Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Salt and PepperÂ
Remove chicken from the fridge one hour before you plan to cook it and pat the chicken very dry with paper towels all over. Let it come up to room temperature.Â
After an hour, preheat the oven to 415. Place your potatoes, beets, and leeks on a baking sheet, and toss with 1/2 cup olive oil and lots of salt. Arrange the leeks towards the center of the pan, under where the chicken will be (they cook quicker than the other veggies, and this will prevent them from becoming too crisp/burning). Place a wire rack over the veggies.Â
Carefully separate the chicken skin from the breast with your fingers and, if necessary, a small spatula. To do this, gently lift up the edge of the skin and begin releasing the skin from the breast with your fingers. You want to do this gently so as not to tear the skin — just to create a pocket for the Boursin. Down the middle of the breasts, you might need to use a sharp paring knife or pair of kitchen sheers to cut through the membrane. A small spatula will help you reach further down.
Using about a tablespoon or two of Boursin at a time, gently spread between the skin and the breast, making sure to use a small spoon or spatula to get it as far in as possible. You can gently massage the Boursin from outside the skin to help move it around and spread it out. This should use up about half the puck of Boursin. Spread some more over the legs, thighs, and wings. Whatever is left can be placed inside the chicken cavity.Â
Drizzle the remaining two tbsp of olive oil over the chicken, making sure to rub it all over, including the underside. Season all over generously with salt and black pepper. Truss if desired.Â
Place the chicken on top of the wire rack, and bake for about an hour, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove and let rest for 10-15 minutes (the temperature will come up to 165 during this time).Â
Carve the chicken and serve alongside roasted veggies.
Notes
Make ahead: You can prep the chicken up to a night in advance and keep it in the fridge until 1 hour before cooking.
Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Nextovers: Dice up chicken and veggies and use them in a salad with your favorite lettuces, some shaved parmesan, and avocado. Or, dice up your chicken and make a chicken salad.
Let’s chat food
Leave a comment below or email me at hellosaturdaytable@gmail.com. And thank you for being here.
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