Roasted Chicken With Vegetables

Remove the chicken from the fridge and keep it covered in a cool place half an hour before cooking. Rinse the chicken under cold water, then pat dry the skin with paper towels, including the cavity.

Don't forget to wash well your hands, utensils, chopping boards, surfaces, etc. with antibacterial soap, when working with raw chicken. Avoid cross-contamination between raw chicken and cooked food at all costs.

Always put the chicken into a preheated (400 F) oven and cook to the correct temperature. If you have it available, place the chicken onto a roasting rack, so that it will cook more evenly. Usually, a 5-pound chicken should cook for about 2 hours; to make sure it is cooked properly, pierce the chicken with a skewer, between the body and the legs and if the juices run clear, the chicken should be nice and ready.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Ingredients for roasted chicken with vegetables

• 1 large family chicken around 5 pounds, free range preferred
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons soften butter
• 2 tablespoons garlic infused oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 5 carrots, cut in big chunks
• 6 large potatoes, cut in 6-8 chunks
• 2 medium zucchini, cut in chunks
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 large pumpkin, chopped the same size as the carrots

Directions for roasted chicken with vegetables

1. Pre-heat the oven too 400 degrees F.
2. Rub the butter all over the dry chicken skin, also the legs and wings, that will help to create a crisp golden skin.
3. Prepare a seasoning mix of salt, pepper, rosemary, 1 tablespoon garlic infused oil and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
4. Cut the lemon in half and cover both halves with the mixture.
5. Put the lemon halves inside the chicken cavity rubbing it around inside.
6. Use the same mixture and rub it everywhere on the chicken skin (yes on top of the butter rub) and underneath the skin, gently loosen the skin of the chicken breast.
7. Tie the chicken legs together with a kitchen twine - if you don’t have some around, you could use unflavoured dental floss string 😉.
8. Place chicken in the pre-heated oven, with the breast side up, on top of a roasting rack.
9. In a large bowl, toss the chopped vegetables with 1 tablespoon garlic infused oil and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
10. After 15-20 minutes turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F and cook for 20 minutes per pound.
11. One hour before the end of the chicken cooking, put in the oven also the pan with the vegetables.
12. Once the chicken and vegetables are ready, remove them from the oven and set aside.
13. If you wish you can use the pan juices of the chicken and make a gravy sauce out of it.
14. Place the vegetables around the chicken.
15. Cut the chicken into pieces using kitchen shears.