As in most Southern homes, Sunday supper is sacred in my family. So the meal I serve to my loved ones has got to be something special. And you can bet this meal is. I season my chicken with a fragrant lemon and thyme rub and marinate it overnight. A golden brown, juicy chicken cooked right on top of a bed of sweet, roasted vegetables is a homey kind of comfort. It’s the kind of meal that throws a great big bear hug around you with each and every bite.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 whole chicken (3 ½ to 4 pounds), rinsed and patted dry
- 3 carrots, cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
- 2 turnips, quartered
- 1 large onion, cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine the oil, lemon slices, thyme, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the skin of the chicken and the inside of the cavity, spreading it as evenly as possible so that the chicken will brown evenly. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight.
2. The next day, let the chicken come to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 °F.
3. Remove any lemon slices and thyme from the outside of the chicken and press them deep inside the chicken cavity. Scatter the carrots, turnips, and onion in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Pour enough water into the pan to just cover the bottom. Season the vegetables to taste with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the bed of vegetables.
4. Place the pan on the oven rack and roast for 20 minutes. Baste the bird all over with its juices and continue roasting for 25 minutes more, basting two or three more times (if the chicken is not golden brown all over at this point, continueâ¨to cook for 10 minutes more).
5. Reduce the heat to 325 °F. Finish roasting, without basting, until the thigh juices run clear when pierced with a knife, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 170 °F, 20 to 25 minutes more.
6. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the vegetables and pan juices.
Serves 4
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