Wild Thistle Kitchen: Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
By • July 1, 2021 0 1502
Wild Thistle Kitchen: Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
Roast Chicken with Vegetables is one of my favorite dishes to make and eat. I remember this incredible sense of kitchen confidence the first time I made a roast chicken — a feeling of “if I can roast a chicken, I can do anything.” Like a rite of passage since I grew up with two incredible chicken roasters: my dad and grandma.
From the preparation, to the wonderful aroma as it roasts, to the first bite of crispy skin I always sneak before anyone notices — which used to drive my dad crazy but I couldn’t resist — some things never change. What can I say? To me, there’s something so comforting and wholesome about the whole process of roasting a chicken.
Of course, this feeling is amplified when the chicken is ethically, organically, and locally raised — in this case by my friends at Geraghty’s Micro Farm in Winchester, Virginia. The love and hard work Josh and Dayna put into their farm is heartwarming and so evident from the quality produce and meats they provide their customers to the happy goats, pigs and chickens that greeted my family when we went for a farm visit.
Roast Chicken with Vegetables – Farm Fresh
This Roast Chicken with Vegetables is a one-pan deal. Easy prep, easy clean up: that’s my motto. I made it a little fancy for the photos because I couldn’t help myself, but you can just chunk up the root veggies and toss them in a pan willy-nilly. No need to artfully arrange them.
Cutting down the backbone of the chicken — sometimes called butterflying or spatchcocking — just makes the chicken cook more quickly which results in juicier meat and allows for even more crispy skin (aka the best part!) since all of the skin is exposed during the roasting process. Thighs are my favorite. And, in most roast chicken recipes, they always get the short end of the crispy-skin stick. Not so with this method. You can certainly leave the chicken intact, but you’ll have a bit of a longer cooking time.
I chose to use mostly beets for this version because along with my perfect little chicken, I also received a gorgeous box of farm-fresh veggies from Geraghty’s with a few beautiful beets. Beets are one of my favorite vegetables and they roast up so nicely with the chicken, but you can use all potatoes, turnips, carrots, radishes, sweet potatoes, fennel bulbs, kohlrabi… really any root or hearty veggies you love, or whatever you have growing in your garden or popping up at your local farmers market.
I Hope You’ll Give This Roast Chicken with Vegetables Recipe a Try…
…And if you can, try to hunt down some locally raised meats. I know I’ve said it before, but by making the choice to support local farms, you are not only treating yourself to fresher, healthier, happier produce and meats, but you’re doing good for the environment, the local economy, and I promise you it will taste better.
Happy roasting! xo – Anita
For full recipe, go to: https://wildthistlekitchen.com/roast-chicken-with-root-vegetables/
