If this isn’t Sunday Supper material, I don’t know what is! This chicken is one of the easiest things you can cook for guests and turns out with such amazing flavor, you won’t believe how little effort you had to put in yourself! My favorite part of this roast chicken is the vegetables underneath. I do a mixture of cut potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots. By the time they have finished roasting underneath the chicken for 1.5 hours, they taste so good, you’ll have to restrain yourself from eating them ALL before serving! Seriously, they are like crack. Moving on…
So let’s talk roasting pans. You’ll definitely need one for this recipe, because the reason why those vegetables taste so good is because they are sitting underneath the chicken while cooking and roasting. The ingredients for this dish won’t fit in a sheet pan and probably not in a casserole dish either, so if you don’t have a roasting pan you’ll need to purchase one. Here’s the link to one on Amazon that I personally use and love:
The first thing I do for this recipe is prep the vegetables. I peel and cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes into medium sized chunks and quarter a sweet vidalia onion. I peel and chop the carrots into chunks and toss all the veggies in olive oil and some of the fresh herbs I plan on also stuffing inside the cavity of the chicken. DO NOT try to make this with dried herbs. It won’t be half as good. Fresh herbs create the best flavors and you can buy them in small quantities in your grocery store if you don’t have a plant of them at home already.
Once you’ve got the vegetables spread on the bottom of the roasting pan, you can add the roasting rack on top of them and start working on the chicken. Rinse and dry the chicken before setting it on the rack and make sure you’ve taken out the neck and any giblets inside the chicken. Gross, I know. It’s my least favorite part.
After that you’ll fill the cavity of the chicken with fresh herbs, half a lemon, and a whole head of garlic, cut in half. Then you’ll butter that baby up, salt and pepper it, and you’re done! Tie the legs together with twine so that it cooks more evenly and then you can put it in the oven and forget about it for an hour and a half.
Another reason I love this recipe is that while the chicken is roasting, you have all the time in the world to prepare any other dishes you want to make for the meal. I love serving this with a cold vegetable salad like Ina Garten’s Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad. Or you could make creamed spinach or green beans on the stove. The opportunities are endless!
Man, this chicken looks and smells so delicious when it comes out of the oven! The skin gets crispy because it’s cooked at a high heat, but the inside remains very juicy and tender. You’ll need to let the chicken rest at least 20 minutes before carving, which is also another opportunity to put the final touches on the rest of your dinner, set the table, or prepare drinks. Wow, I really sound like Martha Stewart right now. Just make this already! It’s such a solid choice that everyone will love.
Easy Roast Chicken & Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken, about 5 lbs
- 2 potatoes, russet or yukon gold
- 10 large carrots
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 large vidalia onion
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
Inside the chicken:
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 head garlic
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel the potatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes and chop them into medium sized chunks. Cut the onion into large chunks and combine all the vegetables in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, thyme, rosemary, and a little salt and pepper.
- Prepare your roasting pan by removing the rack and spraying the bottom with non-stick cooking spray or covering with foil. Spread the vegetables in the bottom of the pan and then place the roasting rack on top.
- Rinse and pat dry the outside and inside of the chicken, be sure to remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. Trim any excess fat at the cavity. Once dry, place the chicken on top of the roasting rack.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper inside the cavity and then stuff the cavity with one half of a lemon, sprigs of thyme and rosemary, and a whole head of garlic – cut in half lengthwise so the inside of the head is exposed. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine or string.
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, then brush on the melted butter. Add another sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- Bake the chicken for 1.5 hours or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Let the chicken rest in the pan for 20 minutes covered in foil. Remove the chicken and roasting rack, spoon the vegetables onto another dish, and slice the chicken. Serve hot accompanied with the roasted veggies.
