Herb Roast Chicken With Root Vegetables
An easy chicken recipe with the bounty of Autumn harvested vegetables surrounding. The herb seasoned chicken evokes a warmth and earthiness in this very satisfying chicken dinner!
Herb Roast Chicken Root Vegetables
1, 4 – 5 lb. whole roasting chicken
4 large fresh sages leaves
3 fresh thyme springs plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3 fresh rosemary springs plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
3 fresh sprigs of tarragon plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
2 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
5 medium golden beets, peeled then cut into wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound parsnips, peeled then cut into 1 inch pieces
3 medium red potatoes, cut into eighths
2 large carrots, peeled then cut into 1 inch lengths
2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup pale ale or red wine
-Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Unwrap chicken, remove gizzards and neck, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Place into the roasting pan. Starting at neck opening, gently loosen skin from breast of chicken by sliding your hand gently underneath the skin and lifting. Slide 2 sage leaves, 1 thyme sprig, 1 tarragon sprig and 1 rosemary sprig under skin of each chicken breast half. Sprinkle with coarse salt inside chicken cavity and insert 1 thyme sprig, 1 tarragon sprig and 1 rosemary sprig into cavity. Sprinkle outside of chicken all over with 2 teaspoons coarse salt and black pepper. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 2 hours or cover and chill overnight.
-Position oven rack in lower third of oven: Preheat to 425 degrees. Prepare the vegetables as described in the ingredients section above and place in a large bowl. Toss vegetables with 3 tablespoons olive oil and the chopped fresh herbs. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper then toss to coat. Arrange vegetables around the chicken in the roasting pan.
-Roast chicken and vegetables for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Continue to roast, uncovered, until thermometer inserted into thickest part of a chicken thigh registers 165 degrees and vegetables are tender, about 50 minutes longer. Turn vegetables occasionally during roasting.
-Tilt chicken to allow juices to drain from main cavity into the roasting pan. Transfer chicken to a large serving platter. With a slotted spoon, remove vegetables from roasting pan and arrange around the chicken. Garnish with springs of fresh herbs.
-Pour roasting pan drippings into a medium saucepan, scraping off the crusty bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the ale to the drippings and boil until pan juices are slightly reduced, 3–4 minutes. Season juices to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pan juices to a small pitcher. Serve chicken and vegetables, passing pan juices alongside. Serves 5 - 6.
Lift the skin of the chicken breast and slide in the fresh herbs: sage, rosemary, thyme and tarragon!
Place the chicken in a roasting pan, and fill around with the prepared root veggies, seasoned well with the chopped herbs.
Don’t skimp on the fresh herbs and salt - that’s where the wonderful flavor comes from.
Bake in oven until the veggies are tender the the chicken is cooked through.
Garnish with more fresh herbs and serve.
Slice chicken and garnish. Serve reduced pan juices alongside to add even more flavor to the chicken and root vegetables.
Happy, Delicious Harvest!!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**Remove the neck and gizzards from the cavity of the chicken before preparing. Set aside for another purpose or discard.
**Let the roasted chicken sit for about 10 minutes before serving and slicing.
**If you don’t care for any of the root vegetables listed, you can leave some out and then just add more of the vegetables you do like. Rutabaga and turnips are also good root vegetables to include.
**This recipes calls for golden beets, though they tend to lose their color and aren’t as attractive as red beets would be in the veggie combo. The problem with red beets is that their color spreads to all the vegetables and runs the calliope of colors that is so appetizing. If you want to include red beets in with this dish, roast them separately until tender, tossing with the same chopped herbs, salt and oil beforehand, and then mix them in with the other veggies just before serving.
**Dried herbs can be used in place of the fresh herbs if necessary, but you get more flavor from the fresh herbs. An herb blend, liked Herbs d’Provence can also be added to the veggies to enhance the flavor.
