Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

I used to roast a chicken EVERY Friday night.  In the summer it was hot and having the oven on made it hotter.  So when our weather cooled off a bit, I decided to go with one of my favorite recipes.  It is very easy to roast a chicken.  Many people think it's this daunting task, but it is super easy!  Let me show you how.

 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Cut up any vegetables you want to roast with the chicken and stick them in a large roasting pan.  I used potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic.  Drizzle olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and seasoning of your choice.  Toss the veggies to make sure it is evenly coated.

 

Rinse whole chicken inside and out.  (I cooked two, so that I'd have two dinners done in one night.  Feel free to do the same.)  Pat it dry with paper towel.  Season the inside of the chicken with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Stuff cavity with lemon wedges (as many as you can fit) and a large bunch of thyme. 

 

Coat the outside of the bird with olive oil (or butter, if you prefer) and season with salt, pepper and seasoning of your choice (I like Herbs de Provence, but used a Rosemary/Thyme/Garlic mix). Place the chicken (or chickens) on roasting rack on top of the vegetables.

 

Cook the chicken (or chickens) for an hour and a half.  Take them out of the oven and let them sit so the juices can redistribute.  Tent with foil if you like.

 

Place on platter with roasted veggies.  (The other was used for a quick fix dinner for the following night with polenta on the side.  The two chicken breasts that are left from that are going into a homemade chicken noodle soup, so watch for it.)

 

Here is my plate.  I like to squeeze a little of the roasted lemon wedges onto the chicken.  It was absolutely delicious!  Let me know how yours turns out!