It’s another Jessica Seinfeld recipe. I saw her make this one on Oprah, too. This recipe turns out looking so beautiful and it smells and tastes amazing.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (4 pounds)
1 Tbsp. and 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. crushed black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 pound carrots , cut into 3-inch sticks
1 pound parsnips , cut into 3-inch sticks
1 pound small red potatoes , halved
Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400°. On a sheet pan, toss the carrots, parsnips and potatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, 4 sprigs rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Rinse and pat dry the chicken and season with the remaining salt and pepper, then rub with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Pierce the lemons several times with the tip of a paring knife and stuff, along with 2 sprigs of the rosemary, into the cavity of the chicken. Using cooking twine, tie the legs together.
Nestle the chicken among the vegetables and put in the oven—with the chicken’s legs toward the back of the oven. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature reaches 175° in the thickest part of the thigh), 55 to 60 minutes.
Carve and serve with the roasted vegetables.
Did I change anything? Yes, I cooked the chicken at 450 degrees for the first ten minutes to give the skin a crunchy finish, then I lowered the temperature to 375 degrees for the rest of the cooking time. You want to make sure you cook the chicken for about 20 minutes per pound. I had a six pound roaster, so I cooked it for about two hours. I did not put the veggies in with the chicken until about the last hour and I left out the parsnips and added big chunks of onion. (I LOVE roasted onions.) I didn’t tie his legs up either and it turned out just fine. Also, after you take the chicken out of the oven, let it rest for about 15 minutes before you start carving it.
What did the family think? The boys were not thrilled with the roasted veggies but they liked the chicken. The carrots where my absolute favorite part of the whole meal. They were SO good. Hubby liked it, too, but he had to have it reheated since he got home late, so it just wasn’t the same.
