Let me start by giving you the America's Test Kitchen version:
http://www.crumblycookie.net/2008/07...ves-of-garlic/
Mine is a bit more individually tailored to the tastes of myself and my guests.
I vary the herbs, to keep it from getting boring. My basics go something like this. Prep work (If you like to brine your chicken, do that ahead of time):
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Check chicken for stray feathers then rinse it clean and pat it dry.
- Take chicken and lay it breast side down.
- Pop thighs out of joint.
- Loosen wing and knee joints.
- Using fingers, or a long, round, thin handle, lift skin off of bird, on back, breasts and thighs, without tearing the skin.
After that, it varies quite a bit. FMB would probably give you a more numeric breakdown of the spices but, since it's just a basic chicken dish, I really don't measure. The basic idea is to make a garlic & herb paste, and to get it under all that skin, and all into the meat underneath. You have to find what your taste is.
Some different ingredients I like to use with the garlic, depending on my mood
Fresh rosemary
Pepper
Oregano
Basil
Paprika
Thyme
Parsley
Dill
Tarragon
Lemon zest
Herbes de Provence
Chinese 10 spice powder
For the basics, I'd start with the garlic, pepper and fresh rosemary. I don't use salt even if I don't brine, because I use soy sauce* on the skin for a fuller flavor. Mash your herb choices (or use a food processor) together with just enough oil for it to be workable. Gently spread the garlic & herb mixture on the chicken, under the skin, again being careful not to break the skin, and let sit for 30-45 minutes. Don't neglect the underside or the cavities of the chicken, if you want the fullest flavor. Then, season the chicken skin (soy sauce, more pepper, more herbs) and pop that bad boy in the oven, breast side down. After about 20 minutes, flip the bird over so that the breast side is up. Baste the bird 20 minutes later. Then just cook it until it's done, let it rest, and have at it.
I hope that's helpful enough to get you started. If not, there are a lot of herb paste recipes on the internet that you can try.
*If you're not a soy sauce fan, you can always use salt, and rub some olive oil on the skin in place of the soy. The soy will tend to make the chicken skin darker, and will change the flavor of your drippings in comparison to the regular oil rub with salt and pepper.