Baked whole chicken with vegetables is a meal prep miracle. Roasting a chicken on top of a bed of vegetables not only makes for a one-pan meal (chicken, veggies, potatoes, oh my!), it also allows the vegetables to soak up all the beautiful flavor of the chicken and ensures that none of that flavor goes to waste.
The marinade for this baked whole chicken recipe was adapted from my grandpa’s roast turkey recipe, which we make every year on Thanksgiving. Both recipes feature a very simple marinade that my grandpa (my dad’s dad) used for roasting chickens in his restaurant chef days, as well as the holiday turkey every year.
The marinade consists of only garlic, salt, pepper, and butter or oil. But you’d be shocked at how much flavor a simple marinade like that can pack onto a chicken, while also letting the flavor of the bird shine!
9 Ingredients, One Pan
The great thing about this recipe is that it’s a whole meal in one pan. You have your chicken and your vegetables and starch (potatoes), all beautifully roasted together.
If you like, you can round it out with a quick salad on the side. Perhaps some spring mix or baby arugula tossed with olive oil and lemon juice.
Also, to make this one pan meal, all you need is 9 ingredients, which I’d wager you already have in your fridge and pantry.
This Baked Whole Chicken is so easy, but so delicious and elegant, you could prepare it as simple weeknight dinner AND an impressive dinner for guests.
Making More Meals with Your Leftover Baked Chicken
Baked Whole Chicken with Vegetables is also the meal that keeps on giving. Leftover chicken can be added to salads, pastas, or soups. You can also dice up the breast meat to make chicken salad, or thinly slice it for a sandwich.
And best of all, once you’ve stripped the chicken carcass of meat, you can use that too to make one of the best, simplest chicken stocks you’ve ever had. Don’t waste your chicken carcass!
All you do is add it to a stock pot, cover it with water, and add some pieces of carrot, onion, and celery if desired (not required). Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer slowly for 4-6 hours.
I like to either immediately make soup with my chicken stock, or put it into containers to freeze for later. If you want more details on how to make stock with your roast chicken carcass, check out our 2-part recipe for both roast chicken and stock.
All in all, one baked whole chicken can open the door to not just a dinner, but weekday sack lunches, bowls of warming soup, and many more delicious meals.
It’s a great recipe to have in your arsenal. Here’s how to make it!
Baked Whole Chicken with Vegetables: Recipe Instructions
Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours. If the chicken is cold, it will be difficult to cook it evenly. Remove the chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat the chicken thoroughly dry with paper towels.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and place a rack in the lower third position of your oven.
Add the onions, carrots, potatoes, and radishes to your roasting pan. Toss with 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper, and arrange them so they’re in 1 even layer at the bottom of the pan.
Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter with 2 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and the very finely minced garlic.
Rub this mixture all over the inside and outside of the chicken, making sure to also get the inside cavity.
Place the chicken on the bed of vegetables breast-side up, and roast for 75-80 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh.
Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for 15-20 minutes to allow the chicken to rest. Slice the chicken, and serve it with the vegetables and any pan drippings.
Baked Whole Chicken with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 whole roasting chicken, preferably organic (2 kg, or 4-5 pounds)
- 3 medium onions (peeled and cut into wedges)
- 4 carrots (cut into 2-inch chunks)
- 3 medium potatoes (scrubbed and cut into chunks)
- 1 bunch radishes (trimmed, scrubbed, and halved)
- 4 tablespoons melted butter (60g, divided)
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic (very finely minced)
Instructions
- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours. If the chicken is cold, it will be difficult to cook it evenly. Remove the chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat the chicken thoroughly dry with paper towels.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and place a rack in the lower third position of your oven.
- Add the onions, carrots, potatoes, and radishes to your roasting pan. Toss with 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper, and arrange them so they’re in 1 even layer at the bottom of the pan.
- Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter with 2 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and the very finely minced garlic. Rub this mixture all over the inside and outside of the chicken, making sure to also get the inside cavity.
- Place the chicken on the bed of vegetables breast-side up, and roast for 75-80 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh.
- Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for 15-20 minutes to allow the chicken to rest. Slice the chicken, and serve it with the vegetables and any pan drippings.
Tips & Notes:
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