Roasted chicken with root vegetables is a versatile dish that can be served on weeknights or special occasions. This recipe makes a juicy tender chicken with a side of beautifully colored carrots, parsnips, rutabaga and brussels sprouts. All cooked in one dish! This makes dinner prep and clean-up so much easier.
Roasted Chicken With Root Vegetables
This is probably the most used dinner recipe in our house. I rotate through other recipes quite regularly, but I always come back to this one. There’s something so comforting about a roasted chicken with root vegetables. It’s actually really simple to make too! If you’ve never cooked a whole chicken before, don’t worry. You can totally do this. Once you do, you’ll feel like a mom rockstar and want to make it again and again.
Roasted chicken was one of the first true things I learned how to cook, all thanks to Alice Waters’ book The Art Of Simple Food. I can credit my philosophy of simple cooking to this book. If you’re into wholesome food that uses simple seasonings then I highly recommend you check it out.
Tips For The Best Roasted Chicken
Here are some tips for getting a juicy tender chicken. These make a big difference:
- When possible, choose an organic free-range chicken. I know that this isn’t always in the budget. But if you can find one on sale, or at a local farmers market, grab it. There truly is a big difference in the taste of the chicken.
- Seasoning the chicken skin the day before you roast it will make the meat more tender and juicy. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken and rub it in with your hands. Keep covered with plastic wrap in the fridge until the day you’re ready to cook.
- Take the chicken out of the fridge at least 1 hour before roasting it. A cold chicken won’t cook evenly – the outside with be cooked while the inside will be undone.
- Tuck the wings under the bird while roasting. This will help prevent them from burning.
- Use a small roasting pan or earthenware dish. If the pan is too big the juices spread out and start to burn. You want to keep everything together.
- I used to get confused by this… when cooking a chicken, make sure it is facing breast side up. Drumsticks will be pointing upwards and you’ll be able to fold the wings underneath the chicken.
- Once cooked, let the chicken rest for 20 minutes before carving. This will allow the internal juices to settle and add extra flavor. If you’ve never carved a chicken before, this is a great chicken carving video that will show you how to do it.
- If using an organic free-range chicken, don’t waste the bones! Save the carcass to make bone broth.
Roasted Chicken With Root Vegetables Ingredients
This recipe keeps things really simple, which is why I love it so much. Here’s what you’ll need:
- WHOLE CHICKEN – I usually thaw my chicken in cold water in the fridge overnight. Some chickens need a few feathers removed. This can be done with tweezers. Make sure to remove any giblets inside the cavity. I like to rinse my chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. This is totally optional as I know some people don’t do this.
- SALT AND PEPPER – You don’t need anything fancy to make a delicious roasted chicken. Seasoning the skin with salt and pepper will create beautiful results.
- COOKING OIL – I used melted coconut oil for this recipe which has a high smoke point and can be used in cooking. You can also use avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or melted butter. But avoid using olive oil – this is better used for salad dressings etc.
- POULTRY HERB BLEND – These have a blend of fresh parsley, rosemary, thyme, and sage. You can find these with the other fresh herbs in the fruits and vegetable section of the grocery store.
Root Vegetables Used:
Root vegetables cook nicely together and create a wonderful side dish for chicken. Here’s what I used:
- BRUSSELS SPROUTS – Chop off the hard bottom, peel off the outer layer and slice them in half.
- CARROTS – wash, peel and chop into large bite-size pieces.
- TURNIP – Turnip is white and purple on the outside. Wash, then slice off the outside skin and chop into chunks.
- RUTABAGA – Rutabaga is larger than turnips and can look yellow with a dark purple top. Wash, then slice off the outer skin and chop into large bite-size pieces.
These are just a few of the root vegetables that would work for this dish. You can also use sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, parsnips, onion, daikon, beets, garlic, radishes and shallots.
How To Make Roasted Chicken With Root Vegetables
- PREP THE CHICKEN – Remove giblets from the chicken cavity. Pluck any missed feathers with tweezers. Rinse inside the cavity with cold water (this is optional). Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Generously season with salt and pepper on all parts of the skin. Pour cooking oil or butter over top of the skin and stuff poultry herb mix into the cavity.
- PREP VEGGIES – Wash, peel and chop all the root vegetables into similar-sized pieces. Lay on to the baking dish leaving a well in the center. Drizzle with cooking oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- ROAST – Add the chicken on top of the vegetables. Bake everything at 425°F for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- SERVE – Let the chicken cool for 20 minutes on a cutting board to allow internal juices to settle and add extra flavor. Carve into pieces. Serve along with root vegetables and enjoy!
Roasted Chicken Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, you can leave the chicken uncovered. This will allow for delicious crispy skin.
A 4 pound chicken will take about an hour or so to cook at 425F. You can start checking around 50 minutes.
The chicken will be cooked when the legs and thighs are no longer pink and the breast is juicy and tender. The thighs are the last place to cook so cut into the part between the drumstick and thigh. When fully cooked, this meat will no longer be red.
According to the USDA recommended cooking temperatures, the safest internal temperature for cooking all types of poultry products is 165°F (74°C). This is the interior temperature that the chicken will read at once removed from the heat source. You can use a food thermometer, which will be poked into the thickest part of the chicken breast to read the temperature. Once it reaches that temperature, it’s cooked.
More Chicken Recipes To Try
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken – You can also cook a whole chicken from frozen easily in an air fryer!
- Bruschetta Chicken – Chicken breasts on their own can sometimes feel a bit boring. But when you pair them with all of these fresh ingredients you’ll think they’re anything but.
- Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks – One of the easiest ways to cook chicken. They come out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and are totally delicious.
- Chicken Olive Pasta Bake – Everything can be dumped in the dish and baked for an all-in-one dinner.
- Six Healthy Chicken Marinades – These will take boring chicken breasts and zest them up with flavor.
Roasted Chicken With Root Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- poultry blend herb mix
- salt and pepper
- ¼ cup cooking oil - or melted butter
- 3 cups brussels sprouts - halved
- 2 cups carrots - peeled and chopped
- 1½ cups turnip - peeled and chopped
- 1 cup rutabaga - peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup chicken broth - or water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken cavity. Remove any pin feathers with tweezers. Rinse the chicken including the inside cavity under cold water. Drain any excess liquid and pat the whole chicken dry with a paper towel (this part is optional).
- Generously season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Use hands to rub it into all of the skin.
- Pour cooking oil or melted butter overtop of the chicken (I usually use melted coconut oil).
- Stuff the poultry herbal mix into the chicken cavity.
- Wash, peel and chop all the root vegetables into similar size pieces. Lay onto the baking dish leaving a well in the center. Drizzle with cooking oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Lay the chicken on top in the center. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, pouring the broth into the bottom of the dish half way through (around 40 minutes). The chicken will be cooked when meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. The internal temperature should reach 160°F when poked with a meat thermometer.
- Let chicken cool 20 minutes on a cutting board, then carve into pieces. Scoop the root vegetables into a serving dish and enjoy!
