I am going to be honest with you. This is the best roast chicken I have ever had, and my Mom made a pretty awesome roast chicken growing up. But this just takes the cake. Sorry, Mom. I think what did it was the sweet potatoes, their sweetness seemed to ooze into everything in the pan, which went amazingly well with the caramelized flavor of the garlic cloves. Did I not mentions there are garlic cloves? There are a few in here….about 22 of them. Yes, it does sound like a ton of garlic, but after being roasted for a certain amount of time the intense, almost spicy, raw garlic taste fades away and reveals a sweet and soft caramelized flavor. Super addicting. I made a healthy-ish stuffing for the bird too using whole wheat bread, pine nuts, and some other less healthy things like butter and wine. The vegetables in here tasted fantastic, and the chicken cooked perfectly but a little faster than normal. I think it may have been because I cooked it in a metal pan and not a glass one, but I am not entirely sure…..suspicious. Anywho, it was delicious. Jeremy even said it was the best brussel sprout he had ever had. Not the roast chicken, but the brussel sprouts. There are carrots in it too! And shallots! So many nutrients!!!
Roast Chicken with Vegetables
Ingredients
Roast Chicken & Vegetables
- 1 Whole Chicken about 5 lbs, innards removed and discarded
- 12 Ounces Brussel Sprouts
- 6 Carrots cut into roughly 2 inch pieces
- 2 Heads of Garlic about 22 cloves
- 2 Large Sweet Potatoes peeled and cut into roughly 2 inch chunks
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1/3 Cup Flavorful Red Wine Syrah is a good choice
- 1/3 Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- Water
Pine Nut Stuffing
- 3 Slices Whole Wheat Bread cut into 1 inch squares
- 2 Shallots diced
- 2 Ounces Pine Nuts about 1/3 cup
- 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
- 2 Tablespoons Butter melted
- 1 Teaspoon Red Wine
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
Instructions
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Begin by preparing the vegetables. Place the butter and 1/3 cup of the olive oil in a large and deep pan over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the garlic and mix so that it is covered in the oil. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become soft. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts and stir so that they are mostly coated in the oil and allow them to cook for 5 minutes, stirring once every minute. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper and thyme. Divide the mixture in half and set aside. Add the chicken broth, red wine, heavy cream, and half of the spice mixture to the vegetables and stir until the spices are evenly distributed and an even-colored broth forms. Allow to cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub the chicken inside and out with the tablespoon of olive oil. Then rub it down again with the remaining half of the spice mixture. Set it aside in a large roasting pan.
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Now it is time to make the stuffing. Mix all of the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl until the bread has absorbed all of the liquids and is soft. Stuff the stuffing inside the bird using your hands.
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Remove the vegetables from the heat and use a large ladle to transfer them and the broth to the roasting pan, arranging the vegetables around the chicken. If necessary, add water so that the broth is between 2 and 3 inches from the top of the pan. Make sure the liquid is at least 2 inches below the top of the roasting pan, otherwise it will boil over and onto the bottom of the oven, making everything smokey and unfun. Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour and 15 to 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken and the stuffing reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If the chicken skin or vegetables begin to get too dark but the internal temperature hasn't reached 165 degrees yet, remove the pan from the oven, cover it in foil, and then place it back in the oven until done.
Your pictures are GORGEOUS, like magazine status. And you came up with the recipe yourself?! Seriously amazing. I have no doubt that it's the best roast chicken ever.
Thanks so much! It really was great, putting the sweet potatoes in there was probably one of the best ideas I have ever had. They got so soft and moist…glad I still have leftovers 🙂
My wife makes something like that.She also adds Parsnips
onions ,red taters,and butternut squash.After it is mostly done a rosemary olive oil glaze is stirred inWOW we cant get enough of it..we will be now roasting brussels sprouts with it.Thanks Ken
This looks amazing!!! I never roast full chicken .. just to intimated by them 🙂 Love your photography..
It looks like the best roast chicken, so many delicious things in there! Packed with flavor and vegetables, it really looks fantastic. I love that first shot!
You're stuff is always so fantastic looking. If your food tastes as good as they look…ohmigoodness you're like the world's best chef. Great use of the sweet potatoes 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Omg, love that chicken roast, makes me hungry..
Sounds and looks fantastic! The perfect meal. I will definitely have to make this:)
Crisp, tender and succulent! Great photos too.
Your chicken turned out perfect! I love the addition of sweet potatoes. Genius!
nice chicken shots, love the lighting
I can almost smell the chicken through your photographs. And by the way, your shots are really gorgeous and rustic. Love, love, love.
Jeemig de Peemig (Dutch voor OMG), thiis looks really gorgeous! I am not afraid for 22 garlic gloves, especially the way they are set in this recipe.
I love your pix as well, they look very professional!
Mmmm I can smell the deliciousness of that roasting chicken! I love Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes.
Wow Eva! I LOVE these pictures. Where are they taken?
This is such a wonderful post! You have shared with us a great recipe, and such beautiful images! I am in awe of them. Were they taken on location? They look like it.
I love this traditional meal too!
That is the best looking chicken I've seen in a long time..and I too like the sweet potatoes as an added touch..Beautiful pictures too!
Thanks so much everyone! Your kind words mean a lot 🙂
@Alana & Brittany: I took them in my apartment in front of my sliding glass patio window using an old pepsi crate I bought at an antique store. It worked really well with the rustic-looking dish! Glad you guys liked the photos 😀
Oh my goodness gracious…you made this chicken look like a piece of art! I am soooo in love with the photos. Talk about food porn! GORGEOUS!
This looks absolutely devine. I can't wait to try it this fall!
Thanks for the idea with the sweet potatoes. Just made this dish tonight in a cast-iron pot and most of the other vegetables (onion, turnip, carrot) kind of melted away, but the sweet potatoes, sliced with skin, kept their shape and texture and tasted great!
Glad the sweet potatoes held together! Yeah carrots and onions tend to get mushy after being cooked a while, but I bet keeping the skins on the sweet potatoes helped hold them together, smart thinking! I'll try that tactic the next time I roast them 🙂
I made this the other night and it was fantastic. It actually looked identical to the wonderful pictures. I used parsnips instead of regular carrots and it was bomb. Thank you for the inspiration.
Awesome!!! So happy to hear it 😀
AMAZING, can not wait to try this!!! I can't get over your gorgeous pictures!!!! I love your style, so fantabulous!!!
Thank you so much, Danielle!! 🙂
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