Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken with Lemony Root Vegetables
By Mason Brooks
Prep
45 min
Cook
75 min
Total
120 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Choose a 4- to 4 1/2-pound roasting hen for chicken meat that cooks alongside the vegetables without drying out. This garlic herb butter roast chicken recipe is a full meal in one pan, with juicy chicken and browned potatoes, carrots, turnips, and shallots.

Yukon Gold potatoes add a buttery flavor to the dish. Other vegetables used are carrots, shallots, turnips, and whole unpeeled garlic cloves. Fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme are combined with butter to season the vegetables and chicken. Fresh lemon zest and juice and chopped garlic are also used for seasoning. Butter is applied under and over the chicken skin to season the chicken and coating.

The chicken skin browns, and other vegetables are cooked in the same pan. Broth is one of the main ingredients in this dish and keeps both the butter and other vegetables from burning. The most common error when making this recipe is to use a larger chicken than called for; that will take longer to cook the chicken and overcook other vegetables.

Serve the carved chicken with roasted vegetables and bread to soak up the buttery juices and softened garlic cloves. You can prepare more meals and stock from the chicken, as directed by the recipe.

Why you'll love this recipe
- A properly sized roasting chicken will cook at a similar rate to vegetables and remain juicy in the breast.
- Other vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, turnips, and shallots, can be roasted with the chicken.
- Fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, and thyme, along with lemon and garlic, can enhance the flavor of chicken and vegetables cooked together in the pan.
- Using a handful of ingredients will make both chicken and vegetable dishes tasty.
- Yukon Gold potatoes add a buttery flavor to this dish, Small turnips and shallots add a sweet, chewy texture and flavor that eliminates the need for a separate vegetable dish.
- Butter under the skin helps flavor the chicken, More butter with herbs on top helps brown the chicken skin.
- Whole unpeeled garlic cloves are baked with the chicken and can be served as a topping for bread and other vegetables to stretch one head of garlic.
- Adding some chicken stock to the skillet keeps the butter from burning and helps root vegetables caramelize rather than burn during roasting.
Ingredients
- •1 pound small or baby Yukon Gold potatoes (halved)
- •4 medium turnips (peeled and quartered)
- •4 large carrots (peeled and cut into even 2-inch pieces)
- •2 large shallots (peeled and quartered)
- •1 head garlic (separated into cloves, peel left on)
- •3 tablespoons olive oil
- •salt (to taste)
- •freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- •2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
- •1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
- •1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped)
- •1 small lemon (zested and juiced)
- •5 cloves garlic (minced)
- •1 stick unsalted butter (softened)
- •1 teaspoon salt
- •freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- •1 roasting chicken (4 to 4 1/2 pounds)
- •3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- •5 sprigs fresh thyme
- •1 small lemon (halved and seeded)
- •½ cup chicken broth
- •crusty bread (for soaking up buttery juices and spreading roasted garlic cloves)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- 2
Let the chicken sit at room temperature while preparing the vegetables and herb butter.
- 3
Combine the potatoes, turnips, carrots, shallots, and whole garlic cloves in a large roasting pan.
- 4
Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- 5
Push the vegetables toward the outer edges of the roasting pan, making room for the chicken.
- 6
Combine the chopped parsley, rosemary, and thyme in a small bowl, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the herb mixture over the vegetables.
- 7
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic, softened butter, salt, and black pepper to the remaining herbs, then stir well.
- 8
Check the chicken cavity for remaining innards and the skin for pin feathers, then thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- 9
Carefully separate the skin from the meat where possible and spread half the herb butter under the skin.
- 10
Spread the remaining herb butter over the chicken.
- 11
Stuff the chicken cavity with the lemon halves and rosemary and thyme sprigs.
- 12
Tie the legs together with butcher's twine and tuck the wings under the upper back of the chicken.
- 13
Place the chicken in the center of the pan surrounded by the vegetables.
- 14
Drizzle the vegetables with the chicken broth.
- 15
Roast for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 165 degrees.
- 16
Tent the chicken with foil and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- 17
Carve as desired and serve with the vegetables and crusty bread.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
494
Protein
6g
Fat
34g
Carbs
46g
Reviews
Pin this recipe
Tap an image to save it to Pinterest.























