I hesitate even to call this a recipe. Don’t think of that sauce-heavy French traditional dish, but rather a quick way of infusing poultry with a liquorish herbal hit of summery freshness. You can marinate it in the fridge all day in advance, but if planning ahead is not one of your strengths, then know that even half an hour at room temperature does its bit. – NIGELLA LAWSON

Ingredients

• 1 3- to 4-pound chicken
• ¾ cup chopped fresh tarragon
•  Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cup olive oil
•  Malden salt or other flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Butterfly chicken by placing it breast-side down and, using kitchen shears, cutting along both sides of backbone and through small rib bones. Discard backbone, and place chicken in a large plastic bag with zipper. Add 1/2 cup tarragon, the lemon juice and zest, and olive oil. Expel as much air as possible from bag, and make sure marinade coats chicken. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour and up to 24 hours.
2. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken in a roasting pan, spread flat, breast side up. Roast until skin is crisp and golden, 35 to 45 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with salt to taste, and cut into 8 serving pieces. Transfer to a platter, and garnish with remaining tarragon. Serve, if desired, with salad and roasted potatoes.

Notes

1. Because Pátzcuaro is at an altitude so high our oven does not maintain a 450° temperature, so we cooked the chicken on our Weber Gas BBQ using an Emile Henry Flame Top Plancha for 35 minutes. In order to maintain maximum crispiness we also cut the chicken in half instead of just butterflying it.

Source: New York Times Cooking