FACT: Butter makes everything better. But have you ever tried a compound butter?
Compound butter blends softened butter with herbs along with other spices and ingredients, whether they are sweet or savory. Compound butter is an easy and practical way of layering buttery goodness with fresh herbs, spices, or a hint of sweetness. It is one of the quickest ways to add no-cook flavor to food. The combinations of ingredients are endless.
Simply soften, mix, mold, chill, and spread. There’s nothing like a pat of butter melting away on top of something you’re about to sink your teeth into. And when you add a few flavorful ingredients to it, you’ve got compound butter. Compound butters are versatile and make the perfect little extra “something” to spark up a boring weeknight meal or impress guests when entertaining. You can also wrap some up, make them all labeled and pretty to give as a hostess gift.
Want a really flavorful melt in your mouth baked chicken?
Try slathering this homemade herb butter all over your bird including under the skin and inside the cavity. The end result is a chicken that is so juicy and flavorful it’ll make you slap your cat
(Don’t worry, HRH likes being spanked… don’t ask…)!
Below is the recipe for the compounded herb butter David and I like to use on roasted chicken. If you do not have a whole chicken to roast, you can make the herb butter ahead and keep it in the refrigerator. This compound butter would also be good on grilled fish, beef, veggies, such as potatoes or corn. You could even serve it on some warm bread and let it melt all into those nooks and crannies. Yum!
I hope I have gotten your imagination working. What kind of compound butters will you make?
Roasted Chicken Herb Butter
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter Room Temperature (1-stick or ½ cup)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme minced
- 5 basil leaves finely chopped
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Zest of one Lemon
Instructions
- Mince garlic and chop fresh herbs and add dried spices into a bowl with softened butter. Use a fork to work the herbs and spices into the butter. Tear of a sheet of wax paper and drop the herb butter into the center. Mold and form into a stick form and refrigerate if making ahead or if you are immediately going to bake the chicken slather that bird down and bake.
SJG says
Mmm! I was thinking rosemary even before I scrolled down to the recipe part of your post. I wouldn’t have thought to put it on chicken but you are so right… there is life after carbs. I swear I’ve gotten addicted to bakery bread in Spain. I love this idea! Does the lemon help keep it from going bad or do you think I could safely leave it out? I think I’m with lemon like you are with garlic 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
I understand your bread addiction. Maybe it is best if I never go outside the US….
Regarding the herb butter, you can leave the lemon out! I added it it because we love the lemon and chicken combination. 🙂