Simple Roasted Chicken with Quick Roasted Root Vegetables

My Simple Roasted Chicken with Quick Roasted Root Vegetables is based on the KISS principle, to produce a perfectly cooked moist chicken with beautiful skin and delicious roasted veggies..

Simple Roasted Chicken with Quick Roasted Root Vegetables

 

The Making of Simple Roasted Chicken with Quick Roasted Root Vegetables

A printer-friendly recipe card can be found at the bottom of this post

It has been said,  if you can roast a whole chicken, then you are a good cook.  If that’s true, then this recipe for  Simple Roasted Chicken with Quick Roasted Root Vegetables should make you a superstar cook.

It has been said,  if you can roast a whole chicken, then you are a good cook. .

The method I use in this recipe for the roasted chicken part of the program is adapted from a recipe by Chef Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se fame.

With the coming of fall, roasted root veggies sounded like the perfect accompaniment to me.  The problem I find with roasted veggies is, some of the veggies cook up fine, and some get caramelized but are still underdone.

Cook’s Illustrated to the rescue.

I had just read an article in the November December issue of “Cook’s Illustrated”  that seemed to have a cure for that.  While I often find “Cook’s” to be overly fussy using many more steps than I’m wanting to take, in this case, it all made a lot of sense.  And with their method, the cooking time was less than half of the normal time, so the method would work well within the cooking times of roasting the chicken…voila, easy, in the oven, no mess dinner.

Remember the KISS principle, (Keep it Simple Stupid), and you will have the most perfectly cooked moist chicken with beautiful skin (which, if you must, you can remove to save some calories, but I LOVE the skin and eat it with relish); you will also have some perfectly cooked veggies to go with.

 

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Simple Roasted Chicken with Quick Roasted Root Vegetables

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My Simple Roasted Chicken with Quick Roasted Root Vegetables is based on the KISS principle, to produce a perfectly cooked moist chicken with beautiful skin and delicious roasted veggies.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, giblets removed, rinsed and well dried inside and out
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more for the veggies
• 1 large fennel bulb, tops removed and cut laterally into 6 pieces
• 4 large carrots, peeled, cut into 3-inch lengths, halved or quartered into pieces that are about 1/2 inch thick
• 4 parsnips, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick on the bias
• 12 small red fingerling potatoes
• 5 ounces small shallots, peeled and left whole
• 2 – 3 small (about 2 – 3 inch in diameter) turnips, peeled, halved and then each half cut into quarters (not sliced but chunked)
• 2 – 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Step 1

Put one rack in the upper third of the oven, the other on the lower third. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a rimmed cookie sheet into the lower third of the oven to heat. (There should be at least 6 inches between the racks 8 is better)

Step 2

After drying the chicken well, salt the inside cavity with half the salt, use the rest to sprinkle all over the chicken. Put the chicken in an ovenproof skillet and place in the upper portion of the oven to cook for 1 hour. Check for doneness, if not cooked thoroughly, cook until it is (but mine usually only takes an hour).

Step 3

While the chicken cooks, prepare the vegetables.

Step 4

After the veggies are prepped, put the fennel, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and shallots into a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave for 5 – 8 minutes, or until the small pieces of carrot are pliable. Drain the liquid from the dish, add the turnip; then toss with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. Spread evenly on the preheated cookie sheet, cook for 20 minutes, stir, and continue to cook for about 10 minutes more, or until all the vegetables are soft and lightly caramelized.

Step 5

Remove the veggies to a warmed serving dish, allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes, then carve the chicken and place on top. Melt the butter with 1 tablespoon of oil (the microwave works great for this) then add the parsley and lemon juice. Spoon over chicken/veggies. Serve immediately.

Notes

Since you will be prepping the vegetables while the chicken is cooking, you should be done in 1 hour. It will take about 20 minutes to prep the vegetables.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 771mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 12g

Nutritional values may not be 100% accurate