CHICKEN RECIPES WITH VEGETABLES IN OVEN RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with oven rack in bottom third of oven. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet on stove-top over medium-high. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel; sprinkle evenly with 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of the salt and 1⁄2 teaspoon of the pepper.
• Place chicken, skin side down, in hot oil. Add lemon halves, cut sides down, to skillet. Cook until chicken skin is golden and crisp and lemons are charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer lemons to a rimmed baking sheet. Flip chicken, and continue cooking until golden on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to baking sheet with lemons. Pour drippings from skillet into a small bowl, and reserve. Add water to skillet, and stir to loosen browned bits on bottom with a wooden spoon. Discard liquid; wipe skillet clean.
• Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of the oil in skillet over medium-high. Add sweet potatoes, and cook 2 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and shallots to skillet. Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until charred, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
• Add grated garlic, whole-grain mustard, honey, Worcestershire sauce, and juice of 2 of the charred lemon halves (about 1 tablespoon) to reserved drippings in bowl, and whisk to combine. Return charred lemon halves (including squeezed lemon halves) to skillet with vegetables. Place chicken, skin side up, on top. Pour the drippings mixture evenly over chicken.
• Place skillet in preheated oven, and bake until vegetables are tender and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 160°F, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes (chicken temperature should rise to 165°F). Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.

Steps:

• 1. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9.
  3. Wash and roughly chop the vegetables – there’s no need to peel them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled.
  4. Pile all the veg, garlic and herbs into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with oil.
  5. Drizzle the chicken with oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper, then rub all over the bird. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.
  6. Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife (if you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds at this point as this will really bring out the flavour). Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs.
  7. Place the tray in the oven, then turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.
  8. If you’re doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them – get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking.
  9. Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them from burning.
  10. When the chicken is cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover it with a layer of tin foil and a tea towel and leave aside while you make your gravy.
  11. To carve your chicken, remove any string and take off the wings (break them up and add to your gravy, along with the veg trivet, for mega flavour). Carefully cut down between the leg and the breast. Cut through the joint and pull the leg off.
  12. Repeat on the other side, then cut each leg between the thigh and the drumstick so you end up with four portions of dark meat. Place these on a serving platter.
  13. You should now have a clear space to carve the rest of your chicken. Angle the knife along the breastbone and carve one side off, then the other.
  14. When you get down to the fussy bits, just use your fingers to pull all the meat off, and turn the chicken over to get all the tasty, juicy bits from underneath. You should be left with a stripped carcass, and a platter full of lovely meat that you can serve with your piping hot gravy and some delicious roast veg.