Whole Roasted Lemon-Herb Chicken on a Bed of Vegetables Recipe
When you season roast chicken under the skin, as in this recipe, the meat itself gets flavored and the skin becomes nicely browned and crisp. Here, the chicken is roasted on a bed of carrots, turnips and celeriac—but any mixture of root vegetables will work. You’ll need about 8 cups of chopped or cubed vegetables.
Tip: To peel turnips and celeriac (also called celery root), cut off one end of the root to create a flat surface so you can keep it steady on the cutting board. Follow the contour of the vegetable with your knife to remove the skin. Or, if you use a vegetable peeler, be sure to peel around the root at least three times to ensure that all the fibrous skin is removed.
Per serving: 308 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 100 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrate; 34 g protein; 5 g fiber; 691 mg sodium; 1012 mg potassium; 0 g added sugars
Carbohydrate Servings: 1
Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 4 lean meat, 1 fat
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (162% daily value), Vitamin C (50% dv), Potassium (29% dv), Magnesium (19% dv), Zinc (17% dv), Iron (16% dv).
Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. EatingWell cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.
Gluten-Free Disclaimer: Our nutritionists have verified that the recipes marked as gluten-free do not contain wheat, rye, barley or oats. However, many processed foods, such as broths, soy sauce and other condiments, may contain hidden sources of gluten. If a recipe calls for a packaged (e.g., canned) ingredient, we recommend that you carefully read the label to make sure you pick a brand that does not contain a hidden source of gluten. Also, please note that while a recipe may be marked as “gluten-free,” the serving suggestions that accompany it may contain gluten.
1/4 cup of fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup of fresh thyme sprigs
2 lemons
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
3/4 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper
1 small onion
1 4- to 4 1/2-pound chicken
4 large carrots
3 medium turnips
2 celeriac roots
Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400ºF.
Chop 8 sage leaves and place in a bowl with 2 teaspoons thyme leaves. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon into the bowl. Add garlic, 1 tablespoon oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; mix well. Set aside.
Pierce the remaining lemon all over with a sharp fork. Cram the lemon, onion and the remaining sage and thyme into the chicken cavity.
Place the chicken breast-side up on a cutting board. Use your hands to gently loosen the skin covering the breast, thighs and the top end of the drumsticks. Smear the lemon-herb mixture under the skin, covering as much of the meat as possible.
Toss carrots, turnips and celeriac in a large bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper until well coated.
Place the chicken breast-side up in a large roasting pan (but not on a rack). Scatter the vegetables around the chicken. Bake, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone registers 165°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Transfer the vegetables from the roasting pan to a serving dish with a slotted spoon, leaving behind as much of the fat as possible. Serve the chicken with the vegetables.
