Chicken with Lemon, Garlic & Fresh Bay Leaves and Lemon Roasted Fingerling Potatoes for Tyler Florence Fridays

About once a month, they have fresh bay leaves at the farmer's market, for $2.00 for a large stem and I like to buy one occasionally, dry it out on top of my fridge and use the dried leaves in my soups and stews. 

I have not cooked often with the fresh leaves so Tyler's recipe for a roasted Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Fresh Bay Leaves seemed like a good one to try. The fact that he had it paired with Lemon Roasted Fingerling Potatoes was a bonus. I found the recipe on Oprah's site (here). 

Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Fresh Bay Leaves
Recipe created by Tyler Florence
(Serves 4–6)

1 large free-range, organic chicken
1 lemon, cut in half
1 head garlic, cut through the equator
1 branch fresh bay leaves
1/2 bunch fresh thyme
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

Clean chicken and season cavity well with plenty of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stuff cavity with lemon, garlic, thyme and bay leaf, then tie bird up with kitchen twine. Rub outside with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Roast in 350° oven for 60 to 75 minutes until golden brown and juices run clear. Cook lemon-roasted potatoes under the chicken in a roasting pan, placed so it can catch the chicken drippings as it cooks.

Lemon Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Recipe created by Tyler Florence
(Serves 4–6)

1 pound fingerling potatoes
1/2 Meyer lemons, cut into quarter wedges
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only
2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

Wash and split finger potatoes lengthwise. Toss in olive oil together with rosemary, thyme and lemon wedges in a flat roasting tray. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, then roast under the rotisserie chicken for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Stir occasionally to coat in chicken drippings and cook evenly. Season one more time with salt and pepper before serving.


Notes/Results: Good. At the end of the day it is a basic roast chicken that is well flavored with the garlic, lemon, thyme and bay. I wouldn't call it really special, or go to great lengths to find fresh bay to make it, but if you have the bay available it is a nice recipe to try. Personally, I would roast the chicken at a higher temperature, (at least 400 degrees) next time, instead of the 350 degrees the recipe calls for as I like the flavor of the chicken when the skin gets a bit darker and crisper. The lemony, herbed potatoes (no fingerlings were available so I used some small white potatoes, cut in wedges), were actually my favorite part and they made a great dinner with the chicken and a salad with fresh local greens and strawberries and topped with goat cheese and toasted pine nuts. The leftover chicken is going into soup for Sunday and the leftover potatoes made an excellent breakfast the next day, reheated in a pan, with a little olive oil, crispy prosciutto and green onions.

You can see what the other Tyler Florence Friday participants made and what they thought of their choices at the round-up at the TFF site here.