This recipe came together by complete accident. I had a whole fryer in the freezer from a sale earlier in the summer. I did a Google search of “what spices go with chicken” and “what spices go with Merlot?” The result that popped up in both searches was my current favorite harvest from the Quarantine Garden. Yep! Basil!
Ingredients
- Whole Fryer (or Roaster) about 4-6 lb
- A bottle of Good Merlot for Cooking and Drinking with Dinner.
- Chicken Broth
- 2 TBSP dried basil
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- Fresh cracked Sea Salt and Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
- 4-5 Celery sticks
Prep Instructions
I made the marinade/injection early in the afternoon, so the chicken marinated about 2 hours before I put it in the oven.
- Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a saucepan
- Add 1/4 cup of wine to the sauce.
- Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and basil
- Add 1 TBSP of salt and 1/2 TBSP pepper
- Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Most Louisiana kitchens are equipped with a Cajun Injector “turkey injector.” If you don’t have one, click here. You need a syringe with a big gauge to inject the basil into the chicken. Inject 2 oz of the marinade into each breast, and a 1/2 oz in each thigh and leg. Stuff the celery sticks in the chicken cavity with a big tablespoon of butter. In addition, rub the remaining butter inside and outside of the skin of the chicken and season the outside and inside with Salt, Pepper, and dry basil; Sweet Basil Salt works here too. Refrigerate the bird for at least an hour.
Instructions for Baking
Next, grab your favorite baking dish. I used the Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker without the top. You could also use a Roasting Pan with a Rack or Rectangular Baker.
Take the chicken out of the refrigerator about 30 min before you want to start baking. Preheat the oven to 425 deg. Lower the rack in the oven so the skin doesn’t burn. Bake for 20 min; then reduce the heat to 350 deg. Bake 20 min for each pound of meat. Total bake time should be 1 hour, 20 min for a 4 lb chicken. Check the temperature of the chicken with an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer. The chicken is ready when the juices run clean.
Take the chicken out of the oven, and let it rest for 20 min before cutting and serving.
ENJOY!
