Whole Roasted Lemon-Herb Chicken on a Bed of Vegetables

Made it,
Loved it.

Serving size 6

Prep Time 40MIN

Total Time 2HR15MIN

Ingredients

¼ cup fresh sage leaves, divided
¼ cup fresh thyme sprigs, divided
2 lemons, divided
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt, divided
¾ cup freshly ground pepper, divided
1 small onion, quartered
1 4- to 4 1/2-pound chicken
4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3 medium turnips, peeled (see tip) and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 celeriac roots (1 1/2-2 pound total), peeled (see tip) and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400ºF.

2. 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.

3. Pierce the remaining lemon all over with a sharp fork. Cram the lemon, onion and the remaining sage and thyme into the chicken cavity.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

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.