Ingredients

• 90g/3½oz butter
• large handful fresh tarragon leaves
• chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• crushed
• 1 x 1.75kg/3½lbs free-range chicken
• 125ml/4½fl oz white wine

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
• Mash the butter and two-thirds of the tarragon together in a small bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the crushed garlic.
• Place the chicken into a roasting tin and rub the herb and garlic butter all over the outside and inside of the chicken.
• Pour the wine into the roasting tin and place the tin into the preheated oven. Roast for 15 minutes
• then turn the heat down to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5 and roast for a further 40 minutes
• basting the bird from time to time with the juices from the pan
• adding a little more wine or water if the tin becomes too dry.
• When the chicken is golden-brown and cooked through (pierce the chicken at the thickest part of the thigh - the juices should run clear)
• turn the oven off and leave the chicken to rest for ten minutes before carving.
• Add the remaining chopped tarragon to the roasting juices in the tin
• stir well and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• To serve
• carve the chicken and pile the slices onto serving plates. Drizzle over pan juices and serve immediately.