I know, I know, who needs a recipe for a roasted chicken. It is the easiest, no-brainer, staple for a family dinner and everyone can and has done it. However, there is nothing wrong with trying to knock it out of the park and amp it up a bit. I’m hoping this is one of those recipes that does just that for you. An added bonus, this is unquestionably a company worthy dish. Everyone loves a bit of comfort food and this is a relatively healthy one. Your guests will be gushing with compliments and you’ll want to add this to your regular rotation of simple, delicious meals.

INGREDIENTS
1 roasting chicken
fresh thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley
1 lemon
2-3 large onions
1 lb. carrots, cut into sticks
1 lb. parsnips, cut into sticks
fingerling potatoes
kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425º
First, pat the chicken dry, with paper towels. I know there are opposing views regarding rinse, don’t rinse the bird. Personally, I no longer do rinse before roasting. Ina doesn’t, Julia Child didn’t and that’s good enough for me!

Next, drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil over the chicken, sprinkle generously, inside and out, with the salt and pepper. Then, take one of the carrots, cut it into chunks, one of the onions and quarter it, then place them into the chicken cavity. Next, quarter the lemon, squeeze some juice into the cavity and place two of the lemon wedges into the cavity. Finally, add a few sprigs of each of the herbs into the cavity as well.

Next, thickly slice one (two if you like a lot, like me) of the onions and add to the bottom of a roasting pan. Then, place the chicken on top of the onions, add the white wine, place some herb sprigs over the chicken (save some for garnish, when serving) and place it into the preheated oven.

Worth noting, placing the chicken on the onions, adding the white wine, veggies and herbs to the cavity, they all flavor the chicken and ultimately your sauce or gravy. With very little effort, this amps up the overall flavor immensely.

Finally, bake for the recommended time on your packaging. Depending on the size of your bird, that is usually anywhere between one and two hours. Meanwhile, about 40-45 minutes shy of being done, add the vegetables and potatoes to the pan. Worth noting, you can use any type of potato that you prefer, just make sure you cut them to a size comparable to that of the other vegetables. Additionally, when adding the vegetables, baste them with the pan juices, season with salt and pepper and roast them until tender. If the chicken is done before the vegetables, just remove the chicken to rest while the vegetables finish cooking.

Finally, slice the chicken and sprinkle the vegetables with a bit of chopped parsley. Given that this is a classic comfort food, I prefer to serve it family style.