Weeknight Roast Chicken w/Veggies

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend! Chris actually didn’t have to work Saturday so that was amazing! We had a lot of family time and awesome Sunday service at our new church! (SoCo – We found our place!!) Minus the fact that it didn’t get above 45 degrees, it was a good weekend with Dad. Drake and I joined a Mommy and Me group and we love it! We have new friends and get to go once a week somewhere new and explore. I am so glad the weather is starting to be consistently warm!!

Northwest Arkansas is absolutely beautiful in the fall…. I have yet to see Spring, but what I can see right now it will not disappoint. We went Thursday to Lake Atalanta and it is one of our favorites. It is the perfect, wide open setup for Drake to run free like the heathen child he is. We must climb to the very top of the tree houses at least 39 times.

We left there and ran some errands, came home, nap for Drake then got BACK out and went to hike a trail close to the house. It was perfect. Deuce was of course with us and he and Drake had a big time hiking the waterfall and throwing/chasing rocks.

By the time we got home it was around 4:30. Our local groccery store (Shoutout to Allen’s) has awesome specials and I was able to pickup a little roast chicken for next to nothing. This recipe is from Nom Nom Paleo and did not disappoint.

 

Weeknight Roast Chicken

prep 15 mins

cook 1 hour

total 1 hour, 15 mins

author michelle tam

yield 4 servings

This fool-proof recipe for Weeknight Roast Chicken from the folks at America’s Test Kitchen is the best way to cook chicken!

 

Ingredients

Ingredients for the chicken:

• 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (3½- to 4-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded
• 1 tablespoon melted ghee (or fat of choice)

For the optional Tarragon-Lemon Pan Sauce:

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth or bone broth
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or cold ghee for folks doing a Whole30)
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper

 

Instructions

1. Position your oven rack in the middle position, place a 12-inch oven-safe skillet on it, shut the oven door, and crank the heat up to 450°F.
2. Mix together the salt and pepper in a small bowl, and grab the melted ghee.
3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Pull off any extra fat around the open cavity, and trim away any extraneous skin.
4. Brush the entire surface of the bird with melted ghee. If your chicken is still cold from sitting in the refrigerator, the ghee may clump up a bit upon contact with the bird, but that’s no biggie.
5. Sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture all over the surface and interior of the bird. Then, massage in the seasoning with your hands.
6. Tuck the chicken wings behind the back to keep ’em from burning in the oven, and tie the legs together with a piece of kitchen twine.
7. Place your bird breast-side up in the hot skillet in the oven. Remember that your skillet’s hot—don’t burn your hand.
8. Roast the chicken until the breast registers 120°F and thighs are 135°F, about 25 to 35 minutes. (If you haven’t already invested in a meat thermometer, I recommend that you do it. It’s a great insurance policy against ruined dinners.)
9. Immediately turn off the oven, leaving the chicken inside until the breast reaches 160°F and thighs are 175°F, about 25 to 35 more minutes. Again, use your meat thermometer to check your bird for readiness.
10. Remove the chicken from the pan and rest it for 20 minutes.
11. While the chicken’s resting, whip up a quick pan sauce! Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Leave the extra jus and brown bits in the pan. Then, heat the contents of the skillet over a medium-high burner. Once the liquid starts bubbling, throw in the shallots. Cook the shallots until softened.
12. Then, pour in the broth and the mustard, scraping up any tasty browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until reduced to ¾ cup.
13. When the sauce is ready, remove it from the heat. Grab the chilled butter or ghee (use the latter if you’re on a Whole30!), and slowly whisk it into the sauce along with the lemon juice and minced tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with the sauce!

Notes

• I used to use a pair of tongs to transfer roast chicken from pan to plate, but found that the teeth of my tongs would tear the beautifully crisp, golden skin. The solution? I now insert the handle-end of a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula into the bird’s cavity to lift it up and out—and to drain out any excess juices from the inside of the chicken.
• Pair it with a simple salad or roasted vegetables, and treat your family to a midweek feast!

If you make this recipe, do yourself and favor and DO NOT forget the sauce. It is absolutely delicious! I was able to spend 15 mins getting this baby ready and headed back outside to play a little more before Dad got home. Once I had about 15 mins left on the chicken timer I made the sides for my dish. Brussels sprouts & Asparagus with Bacon. Simple. So good.

4-5 slices of bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces

10-12 brussels sprouts cut in half

1/2 bunch of asparagus cut into 3-4 inch pieces

Throw them all into a cold skillet and turn on medium heat. As it heats up and the bacon starts to simmer the liquid gold bacon grease coats everything and cooks to perfection. I like my brussels with a little char on them so I will stir, but not too often, just making sure they dont burn. It only takes about 7-10 mins to cook. Still crunchy, but cooked through.

We ate the breast with the chicken gravy/sauce on top and it was perfect. Now the rest of the chicken has given us something to eat all week long. Sandwich style, salad, hash, whatever you get a hankerin’ for.

This little roast chicken will feed our family at least 3 meals!

Enjoy!!!

Cheers – Cace

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