Simply Roasted Chicken and Fall Veggies

Fall is in the air. The leaves are changing color, and the temperature is dropping. I’m a huge baby when it is cold out. All I want to do is staying inside and snuggle under a blanket. With the changing seasons, I love staying inside and cooking up a hearty dinner. Roasting is my favorite way to add a ton of flavor to a dish! It is super easy and always adds the perfect extra depth of flavor. I’ve been roasting everything lately. Thankfully fall vegetables are perfect for roasting. This recipe combines lots of veggies. Everything cooks on one dish, and out comes the main course and a side dish! I tend to make a mess in the kitchen and love creating recipes using only a few dishes. 

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (4 1/4 lb)

2 sweet potatoes, peeled

1 lb brussels sprouts, end removed

8 oz cremini mushrooms

1 sweet onion, medium chunks 

4 tbls grass-fed butter

2 tbls olive oil

2 tsp dried rosemary 

1 lemon

salt and pepper

balsamic vinegar, 4 splashes 

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Start prepping your veggies. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1 inch disks. Then quarter the disks. Chop brussels sprouts in half. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel and then quarter. Cut onion into medium-sized chunks. In the microwave, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix all veggies in a very large bowl with the oil mixture. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss veggies to make sure they are evenly coated. Spread out on a 12x18 rimmed baking sheet. 

Now onto the chicken. Pat skin with a paper towel to dry. Using very sharp kitchen scissors, cut down the backbone onto the neck. Splay the bird out over the veggies with skin side up. Spread remaining 2 tablespoons of butter all over the chicken skin. Grind rosemary with a mortar and pestle to create a fine grain. Season liberally with salt, pepper and rosemary. Cut lemon into four wedges. Squeeze two wedges over the chicken skin. Then stick all four wedges under the chicken. 

Pop in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until juices run clear through the thickest part of the breast. Let rest for 15-20 minutes. If you use a larger chicken, be sure to adjust the cooking time. A general rule of thumb is to add 20 minutes for each additional pound. While chicken in resting, add a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar to the veggies and stir. Recipe feeds 4-6 people. 

Recipe adopted from Nom Nom Paleo here. 

Enjoy! 

Vanessa