~4-5 lbs whole chickenor ~3 lbs of assorted chicken pieces
Chimichurri butter:
1cupof butter2 sticks or 8 ounces, room temperature
1bunch of parsleyleaves only
5-6sprigs of fresh oreganouse leaves only
A handful of fresh basil leaves
6-8garlic clovescrushed
4-5green onions or scallion stalks
1-2teaspoonsof chili pepper flakes or 1 small red hot pepperseeded and deveined, diced
3-4tablespoonsred wine vinegar
1tablespoonfresh lime or lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
To bake with the chicken:
Onionspotatoes or your choice of veggies
Instructions
For the chimichurri butter:
Place all the ingredients expect for the butter in a small food processor and pulse until the herbs are finely chopped.
Add the butter and continue pulsing until you have smooth creamy mix. Can be made ahead of time, but should be brought back to room temperature before using to prepare the roasted chicken.
For roasting or baking the whole chicken:
Rub about half of the butter chimichurri all over chicken, including under the skin. Save the rest of the chimichurri butter for basting and for serving.
Pre-heat oven to 425F
Place the vegetables (onions, potatoes, etc) under chicken in baking or roasting pan.
Bake the chicken (uncovered) at 425F for 30 minutes
Lower heat to 400F, baste chicken and bake for another 50-60 minutes, basting every 15-20 minutes.
During the last 5-10 minutes, add additional chimichurri butter or chimichurri sauce on top.
Variation with chicken drumsticks or individual chicken pieces:
Marinate the chicken pieces with ¾ cup to 1 cup of the chimichurri sauce, save the additional sauce for basting and serving. You can marinate the chicken several hours in advance if you have time, and if not just rub the sauce over the chicken pieces right before baking.
Pre-heat the oven to 400F.
Arrange the chicken pieces on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. You can also add potatoes or other vegetables (rubbed with chimichurri sauce).
Bake the chicken pieces for about 30 minutes, then turn the chicken pieces and vegetables over. Baste the chicken with some of the reserved chimichurri sauce.
Continue baking for another 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is browned and fully cooked. Exact time will vary based on your oven and the thickness of the individual chicken pieces.
Brush the additional chimichurri sauce when done and serve immediately.