Recipe Talk

I am looking for the recipe that was in an old McCalls Cooking School magazine. I believe the year was 1986. It was for a roasting chicken that you made an herb butter that was spread under the skin before you roasted it and it also had a stuffing that went with it. I have used this recipe for years when I have made my Thanksgiving turkey. We moved and I lost my precious collection of recipes of which this was one. Please help if this is in your collection. Judy

Chicken Breasts Tarragon

A dish fit for an elegant dinner party - chicken breasts are sautéed then poached with a luscious sauce.

4 whole chicken breasts (about 1 lb each), boned & skinned

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs margarine or butter

6 shallots, chopped

2 pared carrots, sliced into ¼-inch rounds

¼ cup Cognac or brandy

1 cup dry white wine

¼ cup chopped fresh tarragon or 2 tsp dried tarragon leaves

1½ Tbs fresh chopped chervil or ½ tsp dried chervil leaves

½ tsp salt

? tsp pepper

1 cup light cream

1 egg yolk

1 Tbs flour

¼ lb mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced

2 Tbs margarine or butter

Springs of fresh tarragon

1. Cut whole chicken breast in half; In 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil and 2 Tbs margarine or butter. Add chicken breasts (half at a time, enough to cover bottom on pan); Sauté, turning on all sides, until brown. Remove chicken as it browns. Brown rest of chicken.

2. Add shallots and carrot to drippings in Dutch oven; Sauté, stirring, 5 minutes or until golden. Return chicken to Dutch oven; heat. When hot, heat Cognac in ladle over gas flame or electric burner; ignite. Pour, flaming, over chicken. Add wine, chopped tarragon, chervil , salt & pepper.

3. Bring to boil; Reduce heat and simmer gently, covered, 30 minutes. Remove chicken to heated serving platter; keep warm. Strain drippings in Dutch oven (discard vegetables); Return drippings to Dutch oven. In small bowl, combine cream, egg yolk and flour; Mix well with wire whisk.

4. Stir mixture into drippings in Dutch oven; Bring just to boil, stirring. Add more wine if sauce seems too thick. Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms in hot margarine 5 minutes, until tender. Spoon sauce over chicken. Garnish with tarragon and mushrooms

ROASTED HERB-STUFFED CHICKEN

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1 whole chicken
3 tsp. tarragon, divided
olive oil (as desired)
salt and pepper to taste
2 carrots, quartered
1 large onion, quartered
2 celery stalks, quartered
2 shallots
1 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. white wine
3 Tbsp. soft butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Salt the cavity of chicken and
sprinkle 1 teaspoon tarragon in cavity. Rub with olive oil,
salt and pepper. Place chicken in pan, breast side down;
roast for 5 minutes. Flip chicken on right breast and roast
for another 5 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees. Scatter the
vegetables around it and roast for 30 minutes. Flip chicken to
opposite side and roast for 20 minutes more. Baste well with
drippings throughout process.
Remove chicken when done and add wine and remaining
tarragon to chicken stock in roasting pan. Let simmer. Strain
well and add butter. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Thank you, I'm afraid this isn't the recipe however. The recipe had a herb butter that was spread under the skin of the chicken and also had a giblet gravy and stuffing as part of the recipe. Thank you for trying though. Judy

HI there,
I've got a collection of McCalls Cooking school volumes 1-14 and the special holiday, chocolate and other McCalls magazines. In the Holiday Baking & Entertaining issue I found this:
Roast Stuffed Capon with Herbs
51/2 to 6 pound ready to cook capon
salt, pepper
VEGETABLE STUFFING BELOW

Hi, Here is the recipe

1 whole roasting chicken (5 pounds)

Stuffing
1/2cup butter
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 chicken liver, chopped
6 cups day old white bread cubes
2 T chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Giblet Gravy
giblets and neck
1 onion peeled and halved
celery tops from 1 stalk
2 whole black pepper corns
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can condensed chicken broth, undiluted
1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350. Remove giblets from chicken. Set aside liver for stuffing. Wash chicken inside and out with cold running water and pat dry.Make herb butter. In a small bowl, using a fork, beat 1/3 cup butter, softened to room temp. with 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley,1 tablespoon of chopped green onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. With a rubber scraper, carefully loosen the skin from either side of the chicken breast, taking care not to break through the skin. Spread half of butter over the breast meat under the skin on each side. Cautiously push the herb butter in as far as it will go.

Make stuffing. Saute celery, onion, liver in butter until celery is golden. Remove from heat. Toss with rest of ingredients. Stuff chicken
Roast chicken uncovered, 1 3/4 - 2 hours. Baste occasionally.
Make gravy. Mix all ingredients except flour. Add 3/4 cup water; simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours. Strain; add water to make 2 cups. Chop giblets fine. Pour off pan drippings. Return 1/4 cup to pan, stir in flour (not on heat) until smooth. Add broth, bring to boil stirring. Add giblets. Reduce heat; simmer 1 minute. Season.

Judy, Don't know if you ever found that Herb Roasted Chicken recipe-I've been looking for it also-specifically for the herb butter! I do have part of the magazine page with the Chicken and gravy recipe if you still want it -Please reply if interested and if you located the herb butter recipe please share! thanks CLHWill