A Simple Roast Chicken

Because they are easy and fairly inexpensive, many of us pick up a rotisserie chicken when we want roast chicken. Every now and then I prefer to roast a chicken at home. If nothing else, that wisp of roast chicken fragrance when you lift the lid (if it's cooked in a Dutch oven as I prefer) is so delightful!

The good news is that a whole chicken cooked this way is amazingly easy and you can make it really simple or add to the flavor with additions like root veggies, herbs, and/or lemon or orange for a small addition of time and effort that pays off big time.

You start with a whole chicken, season it with salt and pepper, put a little water or wine in the bottom of the Dutch oven to keep it from sticking, cover it up and cook for 60 minutes. You get a cooked chicken with brown and fairly crisp skin, some yummy pan juices for sauce and clean up is easy.

One step more is to add things like peeled and sliced onion, whole or halved garlic, chunks of potato, carrot, rutabaga, turnip, etc., all shaken in a large plastic bag (like a produce bag) with a little olive oil, some herbs either fresh or dried, and some salt and pepper. The veggies get put into the Dutch oven after the chicken, all around the chicken. You can tuck some lemon wedges or orange wedges into the chicken cavity, too, for more flavor. The lid goes on, the pot goes into the oven and 60 minutes later you have a meal to die for. Add a green salad and maybe some crusty bread for soaking up the pan juices and you have such a great meal that is easy on the cook. I actually served mine (which included sliced mushrooms along with the onions and carrots and garlic) with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Leftovers can be used for sandwiches or chicken salad, or any dish that uses leftover chicken. You can also reheat it in the microwave for another meal if you also have leftover veggies. Of course the cooked poultry also freezes well for even later use.

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables 

1 whole butchered chicken, about 3-4 pounds, with anything inside removed
2 carrots, washed, ends removed, cut into bite sized pieces
2-3 baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite sized pieces
any other root vegetable that you like, washed, ends removed and cut into bite sized pieces
and/or sliced mushrooms
1 onion, peeled, ends removed, sliced
whole or halved garlic, excess skin removed
salt and pepper to taste
fresh (1 tablespoon) or dried (1 teaspoon) thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
lemon or orange wedges for inside the bird
salt and pepper to taste
optional: 1/4 cup dry white wine
optional: chopped Italian parsley

Preheat to oven to 375 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken (if you usually do) and place in a Dutch oven large enough for it and the vegetables.
Put the carrots, potatoes, other root vegetables if using, onion and garlic in a large disposable bag (I used produce bags from the market that I save for this purpose). Add the salt and pepper and thyme. Close the top securely and shake vigorously to distribute the seasonings. Add the olive oil and shake again to coat everything lightly with oil. Place the oiled veg all around the chicken in the Dutch oven. Place the orange or lemon wedges inside the bird. Season the outside of the bird with salt and pepper to taste. If using, add the white wine.

Cover the Dutch oven. Place in preheated oven and roast for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes so the juices can migrate back into the bird.

Cut legs, thighs and wings into serving pieces. Slice the breast or cut into more serving pieces. Serve hot with pan juices spooned over. If desired garnish with chopped parsley

Cooler Weather Means Oven Roast Chicken Thighs With Veggies

I love the fall! Trees turning all the fall colors, air turning crisp, and, around here, foggy some mornings. Time for pumpkins and walnuts and apples. This year the acorns have masted, which means that they have produced an enormous crop that carpets the ground. It's also a wonderful time for using the oven. Not only am I drawn again to baking with the cooler weather, but increasingly I'm ready to move away from entrees cooked on the BBQ to ones cooked on the stove top or in the oven.

For dinner last night we had a great dish of boneless, skinless chicken thighs cooked in a Dutch oven. The bottom of the pot held seasoned pieces of various veggies including potatoes, red onion, carrots, and celery. I use a recycled clean produce bag to hold all the cut up vegetables, add the seasonings, close the bag and shake, then add the olive oil, close the bag and shake to distribute the seasonings and oil. Then they go into the pot. The seasoned chicken was placed on top, along with some whole green beans. They roasted for about 20 minutes, covered, then another 10 or so uncovered. 

It's the kind of dish you can prep in the morning or the night before, stash the filled Dutch oven in the fridge, then put it in the oven after work, leaving you time to have a glass or wine or a cup of tea while everything cooks and makes the house smell wonderful. Almost effortless, plus you'll have time to set the table and put together a salad if there will be hearty eaters. No Dutch oven? Use as deep a casserole as you have and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

You can use other veggies - peppers, mushrooms, parsnips or turnips all come to mind - and you can vary the seasonings, too, with other spices like oregano, fennel, tarragon or cumin, or by adding some mustard and/or lemon juice. Just remember that the juices from the chicken bathe the veggies below so the seasonings should go with chicken. All the vegetable pieces should be about the same size so that they are uniformly cooked through by the time the chicken is done. You can pierce the larger pieces with a sharp knife at the end to check for tenderness. The internal temperature for the chicken should be 165 degrees F, or you can cut on and the juices should run clear.

Roast Chicken Thighs with Veggies
Serves 3-4

3 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces, (not peeled)
1/2 medium red onion, peeled, ends removed, cut into wedges
2-3 large carrots, cleaned, ends removed, cut into bite-size pieces
2-3 large stalks celery, ends removed, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cups fresh whole green beans, ends removed
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, rinsed, dried, salt and pepper to taste added to both sides

If baking right away, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. If baking later or the next day, preheat the oven when you are ready to bake.

Place the pieces of potato, onion, carrots, and celery in a large plastic bag (a clean produce bag works well). Add the pepper, salt, thyme, and rosemary to the bag. Close the bag tightly and shake vigorously to distribute spices. Open the bag and add the olive oil. Close the bag tightly and shake vigorously to distribute the oil to all the pieces. Open the bag and pour all the seasoned veggies into the bottom of a Dutch oven or deep casserole. Place the green beans and seasoned chicken thighs on top. Cover with the lid or with aluminum foil (tightly) and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Check to make sure that internal temperature for the chicken is 165 degrees F, or you can cut on and the juices should run clear. Pierce the largest pieces of veggies with a sharp knife to make sure they are tender. If necessary, bake longer until proper temperature for the chicken and tenderness for the veggies is reached.

Serve at once making sure to have a piece of chicken and some of all the veggies, in all the servings.