Green Goddess Roasted Chicken

Green Goddess Roasted Chicken

Green Goddess dressing — a creamy, piquant blend of herbs, garlic and anchovies — is good to eat on salad. And it’s wonderful as a dipping sauce for vegetables. But its best use may be as a marinade for roast chicken. The mild chicken absorbs all the zippy flavors of the dressing, to emerge from the oven fragrant and golden, flecked with green. To intensify the herbal flavor, some of the green goddess mixture is set aside to use as a sauce. You could even pour a little on a salad or some vegetables on the side, and enjoy the best of all the Green Goddess variations in one savory bite.

Yield: 4 servings

1½ cups buttermilk or plain yogurt

1 cup packed basil leaves

¼ cup packed chives

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 anchovy fillets (optional)

1 scallion, white and green parts

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken, halved through the breast and back bones, patted dry with paper towels

1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

In a blender, purée buttermilk, basil, chives, garlic, anchovies (if using), scallion, lime zest and juice, salt and pepper until smooth.

Put chicken halves in a bowl or large heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and cover with three-quarters of the Green Goddess marinade. (Save the rest to serve as a sauce.) Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove chicken from the marinade, shaking off as much liquid as possible, and lay the halves on a rimmed baking sheet. (Discard the used marinade.) Pat chicken tops dry with paper towels and drizzle with oil. Roast until cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving, with some of the reserved sauce if you like.

TIP: I make this with thighs and roast them for about 25 mins at 500. It makes the house smell so good. The longer I marinate the chicken, the more succulent it is. I try to buy the best buttermilk I can; it seems to make a difference. This has been a winner in my house and for guests. The hardest thing to remember when I want to make it is that needs time to marinate.

500ºF? That was way too hot for my oven. The chicken was pretty well cooked at 20 minutes ... 148ºF internal temperature at the breast. I finished it at 350º for seven minutes and the chicken was perfectly cooked. The Green Goddess dressing was superb! A definite keeper ... but keep an eye on the temperature!

I have prepared this twice and both times it was fantastic. The first was with boneless skinless breasts, but it didn't marinade as long. A few days ago, I marinated chunks of boneless skinless breasts for a full day and grilled them on skewers.... So yummy and succulent!!

I prefer greek yogurt for this and it makes the marinade super thick and tangy.

Going to become one of my go-to chicken dishes!