This Ina Garten roast chicken recipe is a great weeknight dinner because it feels special but asks very little of you while it cooks. Most of the work happens ahead of time: you can season the chicken and stuff the cavity the day before, and chop the vegetables in advance, so all that’s left is to get everything in the pan and into the oven. Enjoy!
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Serves: 4 | Roasting time: about 1½ hours, plus 15 to 20 minutes of resting
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 roasting chicken (5 to 6 lb)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 extra sprigs for the vegetables
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
- 4 carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 fennel bulb, thickly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat and prep the chicken. Heat the oven to 425°F. Remove any giblets from the chicken, trim excess fat, and pat the chicken very dry inside and out with paper towels.
- Season and stuff. Sprinkle the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the bunch of thyme, both lemon halves, and all the garlic halves.
- Butter and truss. Brush the outside of the chicken with the melted butter and sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body.
- Prep the vegetables. In a roasting pan, toss the onion, carrots, and fennel with the olive oil, the extra thyme sprigs, and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spread them out in an even layer.
- Roast. Set the chicken on top of the vegetables. Roast for about 1½ hours, until the skin is golden and the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. A thermometer should read about 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Rest. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes so the juices settle.
- Carve and serve. Slice the chicken and serve it with the roasted vegetables and the pan juices spooned over the top.
Make-ahead tips
Salt the chicken and stuff the cavity up to a day in advance, then refrigerate it uncovered for crisper skin. Chop the vegetables ahead too. Take the chicken out of the fridge about 30 minutes before roasting so it cooks evenly.