My Valentine’s Day Tradition

February 10, 2020

Roasted chicken with herb butter is what’s for dinner on February 14 – such an easy and aromatic recipe. I love the herbal bouquet of this supper almost more than the tulips that appear on my table each year.

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Chicken! Yes, my sweetheart tradition is all about a roasted chicken. Not an every Friday night Ina for Jeffrey chicken, but a once a year, Valentines Day roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings: roasted carrots, potatoes and onions and a lovely gravy/sauce to drizzle over everything.Tulips in a pitcher for the centerpiece, and a heart-shaped chocolate cake for dessert. Perfection!

In Sunday Best Dishes, I have a recipe for a chocolate walnut torte that is fudgy and nutty – just perfect for a post-Sunday dinner or Valentine’s Day fare.

You can serve it warm or at room temperature, which allows, if you prefer, to prepare it in the morning, knowing that dessert is all taken care of.

Message me if you want this recipe sent via email, ‘cause today’s post is all about melt in your mouth herb roasted chicken!

I first made this dish for hubby on a particularly cool Valentines Day many moons ago. Something about being three months past Thanksgiving was just about enough time for the fowl craving to emerge. In the very many moons since then, I’ve manipulated that chicken in sooo many ways. I roasted it upside down, leisurely cooked it in slow cooker, rotated it on a spit, split it in half and cooked it under a brick, stuffed it and then unstuffed it … I did it all!

This Valentine’s day evening, I can expect hubby to come home for dinner. He always brings me a most sappy, most meaningful card, and usually a bouquet of roses. I will push my (not quite as sappy) card across the table to him and smile. He will be happy and that makes me happy!

In the end, it’s that roasted chicken, served at home, for hubby that is my sweetest Valentine tradition. What’s yours?

Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter

Serves 4

60 minute cuisine

½ cup butter, room temperature (1 stick)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 (2 ½ to 3 pound) chicken

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 whole orange, cut into sections

½ cup sherry

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Mix the softened butter with the herbs.

Use your hands to cover the chicken with the herb butter. (Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin and place some of the butter between the skin and the meat.) Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place the orange sections into the cavities of the chicken.

Place the chicken on an upright roaster (or on a rack) in a baking pan. Pour the sherry over the chicken.

Place the chicken into the oven. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees.

Bake until the skin is crisp, and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes per pound.

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Jorj Morgan, Cookbook Author

I am a Southern home cook, Nana, food blogger, and cookbook author of 12 published books and counting.

I have been sharing family recipes and stories through my cooking adventures for over 25 years.