This chicken is prepped ahead of time and cooked at a fairly low temperature in a piping hot pan so the thigh meat is well done and the breast meat is juicy and tender.
I seasoned this roast with lemon, garlic and herbs but you could season with any herbs and spices you like. The only seasoning that is a must is salt. I carefully rub seasoning and herbs between the skin and the breast. Sometimes I slip in thinly sliced citrus beneath the skin and it looks beautiful. Just avoid fully stuffing the cavity or you will need to adjust the cooking time.
With this method, we sacrifice crispy skin for super juicy meat. If you want crispier skin, leave oven temp at 450 for the first 15-20 minutes and then reduce the temp to 225 and rely on the thermometer to let you know when it done. Pull the chicken out at 155 and let it rest for 10 minutes.
While the chicken rests, cook your vegetables in the flavorful chicken drippings. No need to dirty another pan. Vegetables that work well for this recipe are green beans, cherry tomatoes, thin sliced onion, fava beans, chard, kale or collard greens, zucchini, peppers and eggplant. Avoid root vegetables as they will want more time to cook than the chicken needs to rest.
After this meal, I always make a batch of stock. Remove all the meat from the bones and set aside for another purpose. Put the bones in the crock pot on low with about 6 cups of water, 1/2 an onion, a carrot and a celery rib and cook on low overnight.
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Foolproof Roast Chicken With Vegetables. A one pot meal.
- Prep Time: 2 hours, mostly passive
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 56 minute
- Yield: 1 3lb chicken 1x
- Category: Meat, Entree
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Global
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This roast chicken comes out perfectly seasoned and juicy. Cook the vegetables in the same dish for a one pot meal.
Ingredients
3 lb chicken
6–9 grams of salt (2–3 teaspoons)
3 grams pepper
fresh sage or thyme leaves (optional)
1/2 lemon zest (optional)
3 garlic cloves grated on microplane (or pressed)
1 1/2 lb green beans (or other veggies of your choice)
2–3 T soft butter
Instructions
At least 2 hours before cooking your chicken, or as long as 2 days before cooking, remove from packaging. Remove any gizzards/organs and save for another use. Pat the chicken dry. Rub it with salt and pepper all over, inside and under the skin on the breast.
Rub any other seasonings you are using, in this case, lemon zest, grated garlic and fresh herbs underneath the skin on the breast and thighs. Be careful not to rip the skin.
Add any remaining herbs or garlic cloves to inside cavity. Do not stuff it full or it will effect cooking time.
Truss the chicken or at a minimum, tie the end of the drumsticks together with butcher twine and fold the wing tips underneath the bird.
At this point you can refrigerate the chicken for 1-2 days. I do this uncovered to dry the skin so long as there is plenty of space in fridge that I can do so without cross contaminating my other ingredients.
Remove the chicken from the fridge a couple hours prior to cooking and leave at room temperature to temper.
Preheat oven to 425 with a shallow cast iron pan, enameled cast iron braising pan, or oven proof frying pan in it. Pat the chicken dry if needed and rub all over with soft butter. Put any extra butter in the hot pan. Place the chicken in the hot pan breast up. Reduce the oven temperature to 275. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a probe thermometer reads 155 F.
Remove the chicken from the pan to rest. Meanwhile, place your pan on a burner and cook your vegetables in the flavorful chicken drippings until tender, 5-10 minutes depending on your veggies.
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