Easy Roast Chicken

Martha's Roast Chicken 101

We've been snowed in for a few days here in Seattle so I've been cooking for four and a half people (my 17month old is the half) and trying to cook things that allow for leftovers. I decided to make a roast chicken with some veggies I had leftover in the fridge. I used the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for Garlic Roast Chicken as a road map and spruced it up from there. My version provided a complete meal (with leftovers for lunch today) and turned out moist and delicious.

Easy Roast Chicken

10 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks if they're thick carrots
4 parsnips, peeled and thick end cut off
4 medium red potatoes, quartered
1 whole yellow onion, quartered
2-3 T olive oil
1-2 t fresh thyme, minced
1-2 t fresh oregano, minced
1-2 t fresh parsley, minced
1 (4-5lb) whole chicken
2 heads garlic, cut in half crosswise
1 lemon, quartered
5 T butter, 90% melted
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Pull chicken from the fridge and let it sit for 20-30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and turn on convection option if you have it (otherwise cook at 425 degrees).

Put vegetables into a large roasting pan and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs.

Remove giblets from chicken. Rinse and pat dry. Sprinkle inside with salt and pepper. Stuff garlic and lemon into the cavity and tie the legs together with cooking twine. Place chicken into the roasted pan with the veggies around the outside. Slather the bird with the butter using your hand or a brush (I like to use a silicone basting brush) and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Cook for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. While chicken is cooking, stir vegetables every 20 minutes or so, so they don't burn or stick to the pan. When they're fork tender you can pull those from the roasting pan and set aside. Check the internal temperature of the chicken around one hour. You want to remove the chicken when the internal temp reaches 165, then cover and let sit for 15 minutes.

Carve chicken and serve with potatoes, carrots, parsnips and onion wedges.