I use poultry quite often but I’ve never made a full chicken before. I don’t know what took me so long! This Roast Chicken with Vegetables recipe is the perfect Autumn or Winter meal and the leftovers can be used for this soup which is equally as delicious!
Roast Chicken With Vegetables
Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken
1 Tomato, diced
2 Celery Stalks, sliced
2 Large Carrots, sliced
1 Lemon, Cut in Half
1 Head of Garlic
2 Sprigs of Rosemary
3 Tbsp Butter, softened
3 Medium Potatoes, cut into big chunks
1 Large Onion, half of it in thick circles, the other half in large chunks
Olive Oil
Paprika
Salt & Pepper
Instructions
*Throughout the process, be sure to clean your hands and counters well- you are working with raw chicken and you have to be careful.*
The chicken should be removed from the fridge at least one hour in advance before it gets put in the oven. If you put it in the oven straight from the fridge, it will “shock” the chicken. It won’t cook evenly and it may get a rubbery skin.
Preheat your oven to 425F.
After washing all of your ingredients (except the chicken, which would simply spread bacteria; pat it with a paper towel instead) slice your carrots, potatoes, celery, and onions and rip off 1 sprig worth of rosemary.
Take the outer peel off of the head of garlic. Remove a few cloves to use later on, but leave a layer of skin on the cloves and leave them whole. It will prevent the garlic from burning and becoming bitter while it cooks.
In a pan or a casserole dish, drizzle the bottom with olive oil.
I am obsessed with my Lagostina Cast Iron Cookware; I feel like Julia Child every time I use it.
Line the edge with half of the prepared celery, carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Leave a circle uncovered in the middle. In that circle, place your circles of onion. You will be placing your chicken on top of this. It helps the chicken cook more evenly, while also infusing it with a lot of flavor.
Season with a sprig of rosemary, salt, and pepper. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top.
Open your chicken. If there are giblets inside, remove them. Season the inside cavity with salt and pepper.
Take the other half of the chopped ingredients and place it inside the chicken, along with the diced tomatoes.
Place one of the lemon halves in the chicken. The inside of the lemon should be facing the sides or into the chicken, the peels should be seen coming out of the chicken.
Next, chop the other Rosemary Sprig, and grate the cloves of garlic you had left on the side earlier. Mix the two ingredients with the softened butter to make a butter compote.
Using your fingers, or a fork, gently lift the skin of the chicken and spoon some of the butter mixture into the pocket.
Using your hands, rub the outside of the chicken to spread the butter in the pocket into a nice layer.
Take the rest of the butter compote and spread it all over the outside of the chicken. You can also drizzle it with olive oil; it’s up to you. I think I’ll use more olive oil next time. Sprinkle the paprika and season well with salt and pepper. Using your hands, massage it all on top of the chicken. Tie the legs together with some kitchen string/twine. Place the chicken in your dish, on top of the onions.
Place it in the oven, covered, for about 1 hour and 45 minutes (depending on how big your chicken is).
When there are about 30 minutes left, uncover the chicken so the skin gets a nice crisp to it.
Remove from the oven.
To verify that the chicken is fully cooked, place a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the bird which is right at the thigh. The internal temperature should be around 165-170 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can cut into the piece, make sure the chicken is no longer pink and the juices should run clear.
Allow the chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving it. Serve with the roasted vegetables and the stuffing can also be removed and mixed in with the veggies.
Related:
Julie & Julia (2009) Movie Review
It looks delicious!
Thank you so much! It tasted even better than it looks 😉 Thank you for commenting!!