Phil's International Flair

Philip R. Gantt
Welcome to Seasoned Cooking and to Phil's International Flair!

This month I decided to try something new. I was shopping at the market when I happened upon some oven bags. These are plastic cooking bags capable of withstanding mid-range oven temperatures. A warning on the box stated that the oven must be below 400 degrees. You simply place the food you are going to cook inside of the bag, tie the open end, and place it in a preheated oven. An hour or two later, you have a meal.

Since this was the first time I have used one of these bags, I decided to try something simple. I have a chicken recipe that I developed long ago: Herb Roasted Chicken. Traditionally, I have cooked this dish in the oven without a bag. However, this recipe seemed well suited to this new (to me) concept of cooking.

As it turned out, the chicken was moist, tender and delicious. The subtle flavor of the herbs permeated the meat, and the small amount of wine that I used added a complexity to the succulent flavor. I've heard that trout and other fish are well suited to this method as well. I recommend trying a chicken prepared in this manner. A small turkey would also come out very well. One word of warning however, don't use much of herbs that are very pungent or strong in flavor. A small amount will suffice.

The recipe presented this month is from my yet to be published cookbook, Phil's Family and Friends Cookbook. Feel free to email me at with your comments and requests.

Now, on to the recipe!

Herb Roasted Chicken

  • 1 chicken, 3 to 4 lbs, whole
  • ½ tsp. dried tarragon
  • ½ tsp. dried savory
  • ½ tsp. ground pepper
  • ½ tsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning
  • ½ tsp. thyme
  • 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
  • salt to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 cup white wine
Mix the herbs in a small bowl and grind them together with your fingers to release the aroma of the essential oils. Trim any excess fat from the whole raw chicken and rub the surface with the clove of crushed garlic.
Sprinkle the crushed herbs over the chicken to cover all of the surface. Toss the crushed garlic clove into the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken into the baking bag and put it into a roasting pan. Add the wine to the bag before sealing closed. Tie the open end of the bag closed with the fasteners provided.
Place the pan with the bagged chicken into a preheated over at 375 degrees for 60 to 80 minutes. Remove from the oven when done and carefully cut the bag open. Be careful on this step because the hot steam inside of the bag can cause severe burns. You will find that the meat practically falls off the bone.
Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with brown and wild rice mix and fresh asparagus spears, or fresh vegetables of your choice. A white wine will compliment this dish nicely after a day's work.
  • Yields: 4 servings
  • Preparation Time: 90 minutes