Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken, who doesn't love it?  But you know what Mr. Choppy loves better?  All the great veggies that are cooking underneath it!  I know, I'm surprised myself.  But the only way you can get that great flavor in the veggies is to cook a chicken on top of them!  There is something about the chicken fat, the olive oil, salt and pepper, and the caramelization of the carrots that gets in my blood sometimes and I fire up the stove and cook this.  I know most of the things I've put on this blog so far are asian or Hispanic, but this is pretty darn easy so lets give it a try.


First things first.  You need a whole chicken.  I typically get a 4-5 lbs one and that is plenty for 4 -5 people or lots of left overs for two people.  You will also need 2-3 yellow onions, 2 - 3 fennel bulbs, 3-4 large carrots, a lemon, two heads of garlic, some butter, salt and pepper.  Get the oven going to 425 and then start prepping!

 First thing is to wash the chicken, remove the guts and make sure there are no feathers or other icky bets.  Pat the sucker dry and then season the inside.  I typically make up a salt and pepper mixture and have this in a dish to make this easier.  Also, kosher salt!  And get some good pepper at Penzyes.

Then split a head of garlic and cut the lemon in half Put both inside the bird.  I often put a bunch of thyme in the cavity at this point as well, but the thyme looked like crap today so no herbage.  But you get the point.  You'll want to close up the back end with either some butchers twine or I like the silicone rig I got.

 Melt some butter and brush it onto the bird.  Cover the outside with a nice layer.











Then sprinkle salt and pepper on the outside.  This part can be a bit tricky.  How much to put on?  Some of that will depend on your taste, but too little you don't get a great crust on the skin.  Too much you might as well be eating a salt lick.  Take a look at the picture and go for something that looks similar.  Then the second time you go around you'll have a better idea of how much to put on.

  Rough cut the veggies.  Keep them a little on the large side so when they cook down they'll still be a good size.  Just cut and throw in the pan.  Then splash some olive oil and some salt and pepper on the veggies, and set the bird on top.  Try to tuck the wings underneath to keep them from getting too done.

Pop this in the oven and after about 90 minutes give it a check.  The skin should be golden brown, the juices from the thigh run clear and the temp in the thigh should be about 160 or so.  Depending on the size of the bird it might need another 20-30 minutes but sometimes it is done at this point.

When done let it rest for about 10-15 minutes.  While this is going on, pop the veggies back in and let them caramelize and brown a bit if they aren't already.  You might have to turn up the heat just a little bit.

Carve up and eat!  The fennel will be amazing.  And the browned carrots are worth fighting over.