Lemon & Herb Roast Chicken

with Schmaltzy Roasted Veggies

Active Time: 1.5 hours

Total Time: 16 hours

Yield: 4 servings

The weather is cooling off, and the days are getting shorter, and that means only one thing: it’s roast chicken season. Roasting a whole chicken on top of a bed of veggies serves two purposes: 1. It allows air to circulate all round the chicken, helping it to roast more evenly, and 2. it’ll slowly caramelize the veggies in all of that delectable chicken fat, or schmaltz, resulting in veggies that are super tender, a little sweet and sticky, and unbelievably savory.

If you take away one thing from this recipe, though, let it be this: the key to having a beautifully browned, crispy-skinned chicken isn’t a secret ingredient, or basting 20 times, or cranking your oven to 5,000 degrees. It’s allowing your chicken to sit uncovered and open to the air in your fridge overnight before roasting. Even if you don’t season it at this stage, just letting it sit and dry out will make a world of difference, so plan ahead and buy your chicken a day or two before you want to serve it.

Ingredients

For the dry brine:

1. 1 whole 3 lb chicken

2. 1 lemon, zested and quartered

3. 4 cloves garlic, minced

4. 2 TBSP brown sugar

5. 1 sprig rosemary, minced

6. 4-5 sprigs thyme, minced

7. 3-4 sage leaves, minced

8. ⅓ cup kosher salt

9. 2 tsp cracked black pepper

For the Roast:

1. About 2 pounds winter roasting vegetables, such as winter squash, turnips, parsnips, carrots, and potatoes, cut into 1-2 inch pieces

2. 1 cup dry white or orange wine, or dry cider

3. Olive oil

Directions

Brine the chicken:

1. In a medium bowl, massage kosher salt and citrus zest together with your fingers until the salt is orange in color.

2. Add minced herbs, garlic, brown sugar, and black pepper to bowl with citrus salt, and mix to combine.

3. Arrange chicken, breast-side-up, on a baking sheet with a wire rack fitted inside. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. 

4. Rub salt mixture all over chicken, including inside the cavity.

5. Place chicken in the refrigerator and allow to sit, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Roast the chicken and veggies:

1. Arrange oven rack to lower third position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Arrange winter veggies in a single layer in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron pan (a baking dish would also work).  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour wine into baking dish with veggies.

3. Brush excess dry brine off of chicken, then place in the pan on top of veggies. Stuff the cavity with the zested lemon, then secure the legs with butcher’s twine. Rub chicken skin with olive oil.

4. Place the pan in the oven and roast for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the skin is browned and crispy and the deepest part of the thigh registers 155 degrees (it’ll carry over to 165 as it rests). If your chicken is browning too quickly, tent with foil.

Rest Chicken and Finish Veggies

1. Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board to rest. Allow to rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

2. Meanwhile, increase oven temp to 425 degrees. Return veggies to the oven to brown while the chicken rests.

3. Carve chicken and serve with schmaltzy winter veggies alongside.