Sunday Roast Chicken Dinner with Root Vegetables

A whole roast chicken surrounded by potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots, all tossed with onion, garlic, and a big handful of fresh herbs straight from the garden — thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano, parsley, and chives. Everything roasts together in one pan, so the vegetables soak up all the chicken drippings. A classic, comforting one-pan dinner.

What You Need

• 1 whole chicken (4–5 lbs)
• 1½ lbs baby potatoes, halved
• 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4–5 carrots, cut into thick sticks
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 1 whole head garlic, top sliced off, plus 4 extra cloves, smashed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (some reserved for serving)
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
• 1 lemon, halved
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels — this is key to crisp skin.
2. Mix the softened butter with the chopped thyme, sage, chopped rosemary, oregano, and 2 smashed garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Loosen the skin over the chicken breast with your fingers and push about two-thirds of the herb butter underneath directly onto the meat. Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the skin.
4. Season the cavity with salt and pepper, then stuff with the halved lemon, a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary, and the remaining smashed garlic cloves. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine if you have it.
5. Toss the potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and onion wedges in a large roasting pan with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Push the vegetables to the edges and nestle the whole garlic head, cut-side up, in the middle.
6. Set the chicken on top of the vegetables in the center of the pan, breast-side up. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the skin.
7. Roast for 20 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the oven to 375°F (190°C) and continue roasting for another 50–70 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F (74°C). Stir the vegetables halfway through so they cook evenly.
8. If the vegetables are tender before the chicken is done, spoon a little of the pan drippings over them and tent loosely with foil to keep them from drying out.
9. Rest the chicken on a cutting board for 15 minutes before carving — this keeps the juices in the meat.
10. Carve the chicken and arrange with the roasted vegetables. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins over the vegetables, scatter with fresh parsley and chives, and serve with the pan juices spooned over the top.

Tips & Notes

• Drying the skin thoroughly before roasting is the single biggest factor in crisp, golden skin.
• Cut the root vegetables to roughly the same size so they finish cooking at the same time as each other.
• Save the carcass and pan drippings for a rich homemade chicken stock — nothing goes to waste.
• Whatever fresh herbs are thriving in the garden that week work here — this recipe is forgiving with ratios.

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