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Perfect Roast Chicken and Potatoes

UPDATE: Game changer! I have included the instructions below to make this in a bundt pan! It is just as juicy as my original method of roasting chicken without all the flipping and turning. (I want all the sides browned evenly!) The bundt pan does the job better!
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.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, French
Keyword: bundt pan, chicken, lemongrass, oven, potato
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 6-8 medium white potatoes cut into 1½ inch pieces
  • 3 pound whole chicken
  • 1 bulb garlic cut in half
  • 1 lemon cut in half
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt divided
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper divided
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  • In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt and pepper.
  • Lay the potatoes close together in one layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle the potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper mixture and add 4 sprigs of thyme. Gently toss the potatoes.
  • Remove the wings from the chicken. Loosely stuff the chicken cavity with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper mixture, lemon, garlic and 2 sprigs of thyme.
  • Push about 4 tablespoons butter underneath the chicken skin. Season the outside of the chicken and the wings with remaining salt and pepper. Place the chicken wings on the edge of the potatoes and dot them and 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.
  • Take out the wings. Turn the chicken onto its back, to roast it breast-side up for another 10-20 minutes. Add ¼ 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.

Using a bundt pan

  • Preheat the oven to 425℉.
  • Grease the bundt pan with butter. Cover the middle hole with a piece of foil or parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt and pepper.
  • Cut up potatoes into 1.5 inch pieces. Evenly distribute them in the bundt pan.
  • Drizzle the potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper mixture and add 4 sprigs of thyme. Gently toss the potatoes.
  • Tuck the wings tips behind the chicken. Loosely stuff the chicken cavity with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper mixture, lemon, garlic and 2 sprigs of thyme.
  • Push about 4 tablespoons butter underneath the chicken skin. Season the outside of the chicken with remaining salt and pepper. Dot the potatoes with the remaining butter.
  • Stand the chicken over the middle section of the bundt pan. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and rub over the whole chicken.
  • Place the bundt pan in the preheated oven and roast for 50-60 minutes until a thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165℉.
  • Once chicken is done, let rest for 5-10 minutes. Carve the chicken and serve with the potatoes.