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Perfectly roasted whole chicken, golden brown with vegetables.

How to Make a Whole Roast Chicken with Vegetables

Renee' Groskreutz
A classic, easy-to-follow recipe for a juicy, flavorful roast chicken and tender roasted vegetables.
4 from 1 vote
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Ingredients
  

  • 3 to 5 lb pasture-raised young hen
  • 2 c stock or broth any flavor
  • 1 T ground poultry seasoning
  • 1 fresh lemon
  • 2 onions white or yellow
  • 2 white potatoes
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 t pepper
  • 3 T olive oil 2 T + 1 T

Instructions
 

  • If the bird is frozen, thaw in the refrigerator for two or three days before the day of cooking.
  • Remove the thawed bird from the packaging and pat dry thoroughly. Remove any giblets, neck or livers. Scissor away any extra skin hanging from the neck area. I also cut off the tail, a heart-shaped piece above the back end. There were a few feathers in ours and I plucked those out too. Set aside or discard.
  • Preheat oven to 400F
  • If choosing to do so, peel the carrots and potatoes. If not peeling, scrub well and dry thoroughly. 
  • Cut the lemon in half. Cut one half into two or three wedges. Cut the other half into slices or “wheels”. Set aside. 
  • Roughly chop both onions –  one onion will go inside the bird with the lemon wedges; set that aside. The other will go under the bird with the other vegetables.
  • Cut the carrots, white potatoes and sweet potatoes into large slices (See photos.) 
  • Add to a mixing bowl with 1 T of olive oil, salt and pepper.
  • Place the vegetables in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish or roasting pan, arranging them so there is some space between them. Add the broth to the pan. Add lemon wheels/slices to the top of the vegetables. 
  • Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Coat the skin thoroughly with oil, then sprinkle on the poultry seasoning. If possible, try to get the oil and seasoning as much under the skin, particularly over the breast area. Insert chopped onion and lemon wedges inside the bird’s cavity.
  • Roast at 400F for 40 minutes. Check that it’s not browning too quickly. If a few vegetables are getting charred around the edges, use tongs to turn them. Using a baster or large spoon, baste the skin and vegetable with juices from the pan. 
  • Reduce the heat to 375F. Return the pan to the oven and roast another 40 minutes. Using a meat thermometer, insert into a thick part of the breast about one inch. Reading should be about 165F. Our bird was 4.86 lbs and roasted untented at 400 for 40 minutes and then another 45 minutes total at 375. The rule of thumb is 15 minutes per lbs at 400, but start using a meat thermometer at the 1-hour mark, especially if your bird is under 4 lbs.
  • Stab a potato with a fork; the fork should enter easily into the potato. 
  • Once reading is at 165F, remove from the oven. Let the bird rest about 10 minutes, then slice and serve while still warm.
  • Plate the vegetables with a spoonful of broth alongside slices of meat.

Notes

To make chicken stock: Within a day or two, remove the lemon slices, then add the carcass to a pot of fresh water. Simmer the carcass with any remaining broth and vegetables from the pan on low for two or three hours. Check that the water hasn’t gotten too low, and add more if the bird looks dry. It should mostly be immersed. Once the bones have become very soft, remove from the heat. Add a large bowl to the sink basin, place a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl, then pour the pot’s contents over the strainer and bowl so that the bones, skin and meat are left behind in the strainer. Discard. Let stock cool, then transfer to clean containers. Use or freeze within two days.
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