Roasted Chicken Root Vegetables (Printable Version)
Tender roasted chicken paired with colorful caramelized root vegetables, perfect for cozy dinners.
# Ingredient List:
→ Poultry
01 - 1 whole chicken, about 3.3 lbs, giblets removed
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
04 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
05 - 1 lemon, halved
06 - 4 garlic cloves, smashed
07 - 4 sprigs fresh thyme
08 - 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
→ Root Vegetables
09 - 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
10 - 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
11 - 2 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
12 - 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
13 - 1 red onion, cut into wedges
14 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
15 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
16 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
17 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F.
02 - Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub the exterior with 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stuff the cavity with lemon halves, garlic cloves, fresh thyme, and rosemary.
03 - In a large bowl, combine carrots, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potato, and red onion with 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and thyme.
04 - Spread the vegetables evenly in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken on top, breast side up.
05 - Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the chicken’s juices run clear and an internal temperature of 165°F is reached in the thickest part of the thigh.
06 - Halfway through roasting, stir the vegetables for even caramelization.
07 - Remove the chicken and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. Toss the vegetables in the pan juices and serve alongside the carved chicken.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- One pan means less cleanup and more time actually enjoying dinner.
- The vegetables soak up all the chicken drippings, tasting like they took hours to develop.
- It's the kind of meal that looks fancy but requires almost no fussing once it goes in the oven.
02 -
- The hardest lesson: don't skip drying the chicken or you'll get steamed skin instead of crispy, which defeats the whole point.
- Halfway stirring the vegetables makes all the difference—I forgot this once and one side caramelized while the other stayed pale.
03 -
- A meat thermometer removes all guesswork—insert it into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone, and you'll know exactly when to pull it out.
- If your vegetables are browning faster than the chicken, loosely tent everything with foil and keep the oven temperature steady; rushed cooking never tastes as good as patient cooking.