Chicken Dinner Roast (Printable)

Tender golden chicken paired with roasted carrots, potatoes, and fragrant herbs for a warm dinner.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1 whole chicken (approximately 3.3 lbs), giblets removed
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 lemon, halved
04 - 4 garlic cloves, smashed
05 - 2 teaspoons kosher salt
06 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
07 - 2 teaspoons dried thyme or 4 sprigs fresh thyme
08 - 2 teaspoons dried rosemary or 4 sprigs fresh rosemary

→ Vegetables

09 - 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
10 - 4 medium potatoes, cut into quarters
11 - 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
12 - 2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces

→ Optional

13 - 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub olive oil over the skin, then season both inside and outside with kosher salt, black pepper, thyme, and rosemary.
03 - Place the lemon halves and smashed garlic cloves inside the chicken cavity.
04 - Place carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery evenly in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Position the chicken breast side up on top of the vegetables.
05 - Pour white wine or chicken broth over the vegetables to enhance flavor and moisture, if using.
06 - Roast uncovered for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the juices run clear and an internal temperature of 165°F is reached in the thickest part of the thigh.
07 - Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve alongside the roasted vegetables and pan juices.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • One bird feeds a table full of hungry people without you feeling like you've been cooking all day.
  • The vegetables roast in the same pan, soaking up chicken fat and becoming something better than they'd be on their own.
  • It looks impressive enough for guests but honest enough for a Tuesday night when you just want something real.
02 -
  • A wet chicken will never brown properly, so that paper towel step isn't optional no matter how much you want to skip it.
  • Don't peek constantly; every time you open the oven door, heat escapes and your cooking time stretches.
  • The vegetables don't need to be uniform in size, but cutting them smaller means they'll finish roasting when the chicken does.
03 -
  • Let your chicken sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before roasting; it'll cook more evenly and finish with juicier meat.
  • If your oven runs hot, tent the chicken loosely with foil for the first 30 minutes to prevent over-browning, then remove it to let the skin finish crisping.

Return