Slow-Roasted Oregano Chicken With Buttered Tomatoes
- Total Time
- About 3 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 1(3½- to 4-pound) whole chicken
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼cup olive oil
- 1½tablespoons fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle or spice mill, or chopped with a knife
- 1bunch fresh oregano
- 1½pounds small vine-ripened tomatoes (about 6), halved lengthwise
- 2heads of garlic, halved crosswise (it's fine to leave the skin on)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2tablespoons red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 4 to 6(1-inch-thick) slices of good country bread, such as country loaf or sourdough, toasted (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
652 calories; 43 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 41 grams protein; 1073 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. (If you can do this in advance, please do.) Drizzle it with the olive oil and sprinkle with the fennel seeds.
- Step 2
Stuff the cavity with half the oregano and place in a large baking dish. Scatter the tomatoes, garlic, butter and remaining oregano around the chicken. Roast until the chicken is golden brown and completely cooked through, and the tomatoes are nice and jammy, 2½ to 3 hours. Add the vinegar to the tomatoes and let the chicken rest in the baking dish for 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Place toast, if using, on serving platter and spoon the jammy tomatoes over or around the toast. Carve the chicken and place on top of the toast to catch the juices.
Tip
- The chicken can be roasted a few hours ahead; it’s very good at room temperature.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Robin
Always curious as to why people substitute an entirely new recipe for the one printed, rather than trying the recipe actually presented and then commenting. Anyone know? I enjoy hearing from readers who actually cooked the recipe as written and whether it was good or not. Bob, did you try Alison's recipe, or do you just know, with absolute certainty, Blumenthal's is the best? If you had at least tried Alison's maybe a constructive critique was in order based on your actual experience of both.
CINDY
I am finally happy to see a long roasted chicken! This is the way I've always cooked roasted chicken........long and low.......as did my grandmother. I think it's the only and most delicious way to roast! The tomatoes look to be a lovely addition!
Kathy
Serve this with the toast underneath--really elevates this dish. Also be wary of three hours in the oven. Best to check your chicken with a thermometer--done when 165 degrees. My chicken (3.9 lbs) was overcooked at 2.75 hours.
Lisa
Slow cooking creates a tender chicken. Tomatoes caramelize beautifully. Guests begged for more garlic. Dash of vinegar to create a kind of gravy is inspired. Absolutely delicious and easy peasy.
Carol
On the train, heading home from a trip, I was thinking about what to do for dinner without having to shop. I saw this recipe and realized I had all the ingredients, except a whole chicken. But I did have chicken thighs. So I put four thighs in a baking dish, tucked the oregano around them, then more or less halved the rest of the ingredients and baked for about an hour and a half while I unpacked. The results were excellent. Only change - peel the garlic cloves. And pour the pan juices over all.
Bob
Heston Blumenthal has the best recipe for slow roasted chicken. The first thing to do is dry bring the chicken overnight the fridge. Add baking powder in a 1:3 ratio with salt. Set the oven at 200-225 degrees. Roast for 3-4 hours. Use a thermometer probe to check temp. Stop at 155. Let rest for 45 min. The combo of time and temp will achieve bacterial killing even though you're well below the "safe" temp. Set oven to 500 and baste with melted butter till skin is crispy and golden.
EDD
how much oregano is considered 'a bunch'?
William Wroblicka
No, the chicken should be roasted in the oven uncovered.
Jenn
Holy moley, this is delicious!!! Only thing—I would make sure to put some oil on the garlics—they were dry.
em
Alison can do no wrong. A knockout recipe, indeed.
GH
I have done something similar for years, just without the chicken LOL. Slow roasted tomatoes, lots of while cloves of garlic, oregano from the garden, a bit of crushed fennel, salt, pepper, a bit of crushed red pepper - all generously drizzled with olive oil. The tomatoes caramelize to make a beautiful and rich “stew” to top creamy polenta, crusty bread, or a twirl of pasta. My 90 years old mom loves this - and will love it when I actually add the chicken :)
Kate Fisher
I made this to the recipe/no changes. It was good. But the chicken is not the star. The tomatoes, butter, oregano and garlic in drippings on toasted bread is fabulous. The bird is juicy but not that flavorful and the skin is, meh. I think I just don't like slow roasted birds. I'm a die-hard fan of T. Keller's roast ckn: salt/pepper/chicken 1 hour at 450. It's insanely good and easy and has salty, crispy skin. I'm hell bent to marry the two recipes. Overall, this is a keeper.
Nan
I put this together this afternoon. It has about 20 minutes left to finish. It smells absolutely amazing. But, darn it.....I forgot to buy the bread. Have to settle for some tiny, boiled golden potatoes with it, I guess. I definitely will pick up the bread tomorrow. This recipe is a real keeper.
andythebeagle
Typically, when you use fresh herbs, they are supplied in a "bunch" with maybe a rubber band around it, or in a small plastic container.
JMM
Hmm, I read this and wondered how "slow" cooking at 325° would work. I've been carrying the 20 min/lb at 325° in my head through 3 stoves. Now I have a convection oven, and I reduced the temp to 300°, remaining dubious. The results, after 2:15 hours is a thigh temperature of 200°, over done. How is this "slow" cooking if, by the standard formula my 4 lb chicken should have been done, and probably was, at 1 hour 20?
sam
I have made this recipe minus the garlic (unfortunately) due to daughter’s allergy. It is delicious and perfect as is. Having said that there are a number of things a creative person could add. The suggestion of anchovies is brilliant.
rachel
Absolutely wonderful. I make chicken every Friday - my husband said this was the best ever.
kelin
Followed recipe as-is. Cooked in 1:45. So tender I tried to pull the drumstick off and the bone slid right out. Skin was not crispy. I thought I salted well, but could have used more salt. Make as many tomatoes as will fit in your pan...I wanted more, so good. In the shorter cook time they were not quite "jammy". I roasted potatoes at the same time -- thought it would be too low an oven temp to crisp them, but it worked out instead of the toast.
lauren
Absolutely delicious. Only thing I added was some lemon in the cavity since I had it in hand.
JJ DUNN
Five stars are not enough. I love roast chicken. Simple, easy, versatile, and cozy. New uses for end of summer tomatoes inspired the choice of this recipe. I'm grateful I made it as written. I would never have toasted, ground,and rubbed that much fennel onto my chicken. This recipe is now in regular rotation. Have yet to serve it to someone without involuntary pleasure noises being made. Though I enjoy the comments section, this is the first time I've posted. Thank you NYT cooking app.
very good, less cooking time
Very flavorful and most. Not sure how it would take 2.5-3 hours. Mine took about an hour and a half.
julesp
didn't have fresh tomatoes, only a can of peeled ones. drained and popped them under the chicken in a cast iron skillet. the one can of tomatoes looked a little skimpy so i drained and put a can's worth of white beans in there as well, along with a handful of garlic cloves. omg. doing this combo forever.
AK
We agree with comments on length of cooking. We checked the almost 4 lb chicken with a meat thermometer at 1 hour and it was 170 (convection oven @325, sets itself to 300). We took it out and let it sit for an hour while we cooked our sides (having expected to need 2.5 hrs for the chicken) then put it back @500° with added butter to crisp the outside, as suggested by another reader. The meat was juicy and tender. We weren't fans of the jammy tomatoes though, I think because of the fennel.
GardenGrove
Took 1 hr 20 mins for 4.34lb
Susan N
My store only had 6 lb chickens. It was done at 2.5 hours. LOTS of juice/ drippings. I reduced a little in a sauce pan. I had to leave tomatoes in on their own because they stewed in all the juice. They were vine riped but zero flavor in December. I might try canned next time for the flavor. My major screw up was that I put the bird in breast down! Not sure I managed to do this. I was definitely rushing. But breast was super moist.
Es
Absolutely delicious flavors. All that garlic...My only quibble, concern, is that this was relatively messy and I would hesitate to serve it for guests. I took the chicken out after 2 hours, mostly because my husband insisted it was going to be thoroughly dried out. It was incredibly juicy. Leftovers are fantastic.
francesb
I make this as is all the time and completely love it. Curious if anyone has ever done any alts - aka low and slow chicken but with dif veg/flavor combos. I am alas not that creative! Not sure what would cook down as well as the tomatoes in this recipe but would love to hear any thoughts!
SK19118
This was good and turned out nicely but the gravy was not really a hit with my teenagers. I did think it had too much vinegar and fennel. I ran into the same issue as others with cooking time - my chicken was done in 60-90 minutes.
ann j
I didn’t have fresh oregano – – so I stuffed the bird with fresh thyme and flat leaf parsley – – and used dried oregano on the skin instead of fennel seeds. Otherwise, cooked exactly as described. I roast whole chickens all the time, and this one came out absolutely perfect. The skin was really crispy – – the meat was perfectly cooked and tender. Jammy tomatoes, and roasted garlic was just delicious!
Carrie
This chicken recipe is so excellent I had to stop myself from making it too often comforting to find it today while my whole family is home sick, it is perfection! I do like the tomatoes and garlic cooked for about the last 1/2 of half of the time.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
