Paired with Ledger David Cellars Primoris (Chenin Blanc)
By Culinary Expert and Wine Educator Robert Trottmann

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
2-1/2 to 3 lbs. Whole Organic Free Range Chicken
Teaspoon each of the following finely chopped: (Your choice of variety of what you have in your garden of these herbs or purchase your choice at the market.
Thyme
Rosemary
Sage
1 large lemon quartered and lightly rubbed with sea salt
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Preparing the browned butter
Brown 1/8 of a pound of unsalted butter. Watch carefully. Start at a low medium heat and don’t turn your back. When the butter starts to break brown (it will pop little brown bubble pockets), remove from heat immediately. Add your herbs and return to the lowest heat and hold for 10-15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and with a big mixing bowl full of ice water, cool your infused butter until medium soft. Set aside.

Preparing the Chicken
Rinse and pat dry one 2-1/2 to 3 lb. chicken
Place the chicken into a large ceramic or cast iron roasting pan. You can do the rest of the work from here with no need to dirty up another surface.

From the neck end of the chicken, with your hands, carefully lift the skin away from the breast meat side of the bird creating a cavity within which you’ll evenly place the soft infused butter. It is really simple and really easy, go slow and distribute the infused butter evenly.

Once you have placed the butter under the skin, place the quartered lemon sections inside the chest cavity of the bird and truss the legs. To truss, simply take a foot long length of cotton twine and tie the ends of the legs together tightly. No need to get fancy. Just tie them up to hold them together.
Rub a bit of the infused herb butter onto the legs and wing parts and dust with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and roast for about 10-15 minutes a pound. Cook until done. 170 degrees. Let the bird rest for 10-20 minutes, carve and serve.
Serve with a side of fresh field greens salad, Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue cheese crumbles dressing and the best summer time melon you can find.

Enjoy with Ledger David Cellars 2014 Primoris. You’ll be pleased.