A traditional Sunday lunch in France consists of a roast chicken and potatoes. At the open air markets, you will often find whole chickens roasting on a rotisserie with potatoes roasting beneath, catching all the drippings. The aroma definitely makes you salivate!
I also enjoy a perfectly roasted chicken. It is enough the feed the family for dinner, with leftovers for sandwiches or soup made with the leftover carcass the next day. Without a rotisserie at home, you can still make a perfectly roasted chicken with delicious roasted potatoes.
Perfect Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
6-8 medium white potatoes
3lb whole chicken
1 bulb garlic, cut in half
1 lemon, cut in half
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt & pepper
6T unsalted butter, room temperature
2T grape seed oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Cut up potatoes into 1.5″ chunks. Lay them close together in one layer on a sheet pan.
- Remove the wings from the chicken. Stuff the chicken with salt & pepper, lemon, garlic and thyme.
- Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Rub about 4T of the butter all over the chicken. Drizzle with grape seed oil. Don’t forget the wings. Dot the potatoes with the remaining butter.
- Place the chicken on its side on top of the potatoes. Put it in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over onto its other side and flip the wings over, roast for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the wings. Turn the chicken onto its back, to roast it breast-side up for another 10-20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water to the potatoes if necessary.
- Once chicken is done, let rest for 5-10 minutes. Carve the chicken in the pan so that the juices can run into the potatoes some more and serve.
Please let me know how it goes in the comments below. Bon appétit!