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This is my FAVORITE way to eat chicken – roasted with really crispy skin and juicy tender meat inside! I have tried a ton of different recipes over the past few years, and have used my favorite aspects of all of them to come up with what I have now deemed, “the best roast chicken ever”. It’s a bold statement, but many will attest – it’s true. I also love roasted root vegetables – especially when they are cooked with ghee, salt, and the chicken juices. Such amazing flavors!
I used sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and onion…but you can certainly swap them out for carrots or any other veggies you want to use.
Ghee is one of the main reasons why this bird tastes so good – it has quickly become my favorite cooking fat. The flavors are so rich and buttery without any of the dairy. My favorite brand is Fourth & Heart and you can find all of their flavors here!
I like to make this on Sundays so we have leftover chicken for salads and lunches throughout the week. I also like to make bone broth in my Instant Pot using the bones! Another reason I love this meal- nothing goes to waste 🙂
Roasted Chicken & Root Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 lb Organic Whole Chicken, I find mine at Trader Joe's
- 2 tbsp ghee, divided
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- ½ lemon
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1 inch chunks
- 1 onion, peeled with ½ chopped into 1 inch pieces, leave the other half as-is
- 1 package pre-cut butternut squash, again from Trader Joe's - I like the convenience of already having the squash peeled, seeded, and cut...but you can do this yourself, too!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450. Rinse and pat your chicken dry. Remove gizzard bag. Transfer to a baking dish or large rimmed baking sheet and make sure it is breast-side up.
- Rub 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp salt, thyme, and rosemary all over the chicken, making sure to get under the wings and in all of the crevices. I like to make slits in the skin and slide some under there, as well - adds more flavor 🙂
- Stuff the chicken with the ½ lemon, ½ onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Tie legs together with kitchen twine.
- Bake the chicken for 30 minutes at 450. Meanwhile, add all chopped veggies to a large bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tbsp of ghee and 1 tsp of salt. When the timer goes off, take the chicken out and add some of the veggies around the chicken (not overcrowding it), and spread the rest of the veggies out on a separate foil or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Lower the oven heat to 400. Roast the chicken and the veggies for an additional 35-40 minutes, until a meat thermometer reaches at least 165 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let the chicken sit with a foil tent over top for 10 minutes. (This will help keep it juicy.) Enjoy!
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
This recipe is amazing. My husband was suspicious of the butternut squash but he loved it. The flavor of the lemon really comes through. The rosemary was not over powering (I’m not a fan usually). We used a pasture raised chicken and it paid off (try it if you haven’t). Both my kids ate it and loved it (this is a huge win). I’d make this over turkey for Thanksgiving even. So comforting and delicious.
I’ve always been intimidated by cooking a whole chicken, but this recipe is foolproof, it turns out perfect every time! I use this recipe for the base of so many other things I make, so I’m so glad to have found this!
Whenever I bake a roasted chicken in my oven it makes a huge mess. Splattering chicken grease everywhere. Any suggestions?
This was the first recipe of Mary’s I made. The flavors are insanely good. I didn’t want to share! But, I’m a mom… so I had to hahah I’ve copied this with just the veggies for a side on nights I didn’t have a chicken. Love it!
Made tonight after seeing you make it on Instagram. So easy!!! My husband loved it.
Tried this recipe for roasted chicken and root veggies the other day and I can honestly say this is how I will prepare it from now on. So moist and flavorful! The vegetables were amazing with the chicken juices and without! Lots of leftovers for quick meals and all the bones for making bone broth. A++!
My go to roasted chicken! The veggies are insanely good. I have tried to double this in a big roasting pan and can’t get the cook times right so suggest only doing the single as in the recipe.
Mary, if you’ve ever doubled this would love to know any tips on relevant cook times – we always want more leftovers than the one chicken 🙂
Thanks Maggie!! I haven’t tried doubling it, but if I do I will be sure to update the recipe!
Wow this was so easy and so incredibly delicious! I just used sweet potatoes as I didn’t have butternut squash handy. So easy and such a delicious dinner! Will definitely make it again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!