Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables, easy comfort food for a cozy dinner. The chicken roasts on top of the vegetables, all in one pan.
Even though it’s still February, yesterday felt like spring in St. Louis — bright sun, crocuses and daffodils popping up overnight. It was a beautiful Sunday and Oscar night, so I made a roast chicken with root vegetables for a cozy dinner.
A well-roasted whole chicken is the ultimate Sunday comfort meal. Placing the chicken on a bed of root vegetables lets it roast all in one pan while the vegetables absorb the savory pan juices. The result is simple, colorful and deeply flavorful.
I used three varieties of sweet potatoes — purple, white and orange — for a mix of color and sweetness. I also added a Yukon gold potato, carrots, red onion and fennel. Roasted fennel mellows considerably and loses much of its raw licorice bite, becoming sweet and aromatic.
The vegetables are tossed with olive oil, plenty of salt and freshly cracked pepper in a large roasting pan. The chicken is prepared by seasoning the cavity, stuffing it with lemon halves, halved garlic and a bunch of fresh thyme, then brushed with melted butter and tied at the legs. The chicken sits on top of the vegetables while it roasts so the melted butter and juices can flavor the vegetables as they cook.
About 45 minutes into roasting I added a cup of chicken stock to the pan and added a little more again later — this helped ensure there were plenty of pan juices for serving. When the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear at the thigh, remove it to a cutting board and tent with foil to rest. Transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl and strain the drippings, separating the fat. Serve the carved chicken with the roasted root vegetables and the pan juices warmed in a small gravy boat.
You can swap or add any root vegetables you prefer — parsnips, regular potatoes, yellow onion and so on. The vegetable colors are stunning and taste as good as they look; my partner said they resembled stained glass. This one-pan roast is comforting, straightforward and perfect for Sunday dinner. xo- Kelly🍴🐦
Some other cozy dinners you might enjoy:
- Beef Stew
- Coq Au Vin
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UPDATED: Originally posted February 2016 and updated March 2020 with minor tweaks to presentation only.
Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
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Ingredients
- 1 5-pound chicken
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
- 1 large bunch of fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 4 carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
- 3 sweet potatoes, purple, white and orange, peeled, cut into chunks (or any mix you like)
- 1 Yukon gold potato, peeled, cut into chunks
- 1 large red onion, peeled, cut into wedges
- 2 fennel bulbs, tops and tough outer layer removed, cut into wedges
- Olive oil
- Optional: chicken stock, preferably homemade, about 1 to 2 cups
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425ºF. Remove the giblets, rinse the chicken inside and out, trim excess fat, drain and pat dry. Season the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Tuck the wings under the body, stuff with lemon halves, halved garlic and a good bunch of thyme. Brush the chicken all over with melted butter, season generously with salt and pepper, and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
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Spread the vegetables evenly across the bottom of a large roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss with clean hands to coat. Add a few thyme sprigs among the vegetables.
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Set the prepared chicken on top of the vegetables and roast for about 1½ hours, or until the juices run clear at the thigh. Add about 1 cup of stock to the pan after 45 minutes and again later if the pan looks dry — this helps create plenty of flavorful pan juices.
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Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and tent with foil to rest. Move the vegetables to a serving bowl, leaving the drippings in the pan. Pour the drippings into a fat separator or a bowl, skim off the fat, and keep the pan juices warm for serving.
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Carve the chicken onto a platter, serve with the roasted root vegetables and pan juices. Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
*Inspired by Ina Garten’s chicken recipes.