Serves 4
125 min
Roast Chicken with Carrots
Recipe GLPRfd3630cfa2fc0c
A classic whole roasted chicken infused with fresh lemon, garlic, and thyme, roasted slowly until golden and juicy, surrounded by caramelized carrots and onions. The chicken is rotated throughout cooking to ensure even browning and tenderness, resulting in succulent meat with crispy skin.
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Ingredients
1 whole chicken (4 to 5 lbs), rinsed
1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
10 sprigs fresh thyme, divided
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons softened butter or olive oil
2 onions, cut into wedges
4 carrots, cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Pat the rinsed chicken dry thoroughly with paper towels.
Zest the lemon and set the zest aside. Cut the zested lemon into 6 wedges. Stuff the chicken cavity with the lemon wedges and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Mince the garlic and combine it with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Strip the leaves from the remaining 6 thyme sprigs and add them to the garlic mixture along with the reserved lemon zest, stirring to combine into a paste.
Gently separate the skin from the chicken breast meat, starting at the neck opening. Using your fingers, carefully work the garlic-thyme paste under the skin, distributing it evenly across the breast meat.
Rub the entire exterior of the chicken with the softened butter or olive oil. Season all sides with the remaining salt and pepper.
Place a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Scatter the onion wedges and carrot chunks around the rack. Set the chicken breast-side-down on the rack.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, then carefully rotate it to rest on one side. Roast for another 20 minutes, then rotate to the opposite side and roast for 20 more minutes.
Turn the chicken breast-side-up and roast for the remaining 30 to 40 minutes. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted between the leg and thigh reaches 165°F, or when juices run clear when pierced in that area. Total cooking time should be 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and loosely tent it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. Skim any excess fat from the pan juices.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and arrange the roasted carrots and onions around it. Drizzle with the defatted pan juices and serve.
