Season 14 of Cook's Country airs Saturdays beginning September 18 at 12:00 pm on WTTW and is available to stream.

You know green goddess dressing as a topping for salads, but have you ever thought to use it as a marinade for roast chicken? Not only does its bright, herbaceous flavor complement the chicken, the buttermilk and lemon juice in the dressing also help tenderize the meat; as Samin Nosrat points out in her book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, buttermilk is the ideal tenderizer for chicken, its acid tenderizing the proteins, its liquid adding moisture, and its sugars caramelizing the skin as the chicken roasts. 

All of that is to say that Cook's Country's idea to make green goddess roast chicken is genius. Try it now, and don't miss more inventive takes on classic recipes when season 14 of the show premieres Saturday 18 at 12:00 pm.

Green Goddess Roast Chicken

Green goddess dressing, made with lots of fresh herbs and rich mayonnaise, is a creamy, tangy complement to sweet butter lettuce or a classic dip for crunchy crudités, but we wanted to let this goddess spread her wings beyond the salad bowl. When slathered on chicken and roasted, it makes a great counterpoint to the ultra-savory, rich, roasted meat. For this recipe, we blended fresh chives, parsley, and tarragon with tangy buttermilk, lemon juice, sharp garlic, and meaty anchovy fillets and then marinated the chicken pieces in a portion of this mixture. We roasted the chicken on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet until the skin was deep golden brown and the meat was moist and juicy. We then whisked 2 tablespoons of the reserved blended herb mixture with some mayonnaise and a splash more buttermilk to make a fresh, vibrant sauce to serve with the chicken. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 garlic cloves
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (2 split breasts cut in half crosswise, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs), trimmed

Directions

1. Process chives, parsley, 1/4 cup buttermilk, lemon juice, tarragon, garlic, and anchovies in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed.

2. Transfer 2 tablespoons herb mixture to bowl; add mayonnaise and remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk and stir to combine. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.

3. Combine salt and remaining herb mixture in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Add chicken to bag, press out air, seal bag, and turn to coat chicken in marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place chicken, skin side up, on prepared sheet (do not brush off marinade that sticks to chicken). Make sure skin is not bunched up on chicken. Roast until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. 

5. Transfer chicken to platter, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve chicken with sauce.