The term comfort food evokes many different ideas. It's as unique as the person reading this. For me it's a juicy, moist roast chicken with loads of perfectly roasted vegetables alongside it! There is nothing better than the smell of a chicken and vegetables roasting in the oven to make me happy. It's simply perfection. My mom and her partner Paul recently came home from warm Palm Springs to snowy Vancouver and I couldn't think of a more perfect dinner to welcome them home, than roast chicken and vegetables.
This dish is the ultimate one-dish meal. The chicken and vegetables roast perfectly together and then the hot pan is used for the finishing pan jus that tops the dish and perfects the meal! The jus takes this dish from good to wow, I highly recommend it! If you don't like red wine, try white wine or apple juice to perfectly compliment your roast chicken and vegetables.
I decided to spatchcock the chicken to expedite the cooking process. Spatchcocking sounds like a fancy term, but all it really means is removing the backbone to flatten the chicken to expedite the cooking process. It is super easy to do yourself, or you can ask your butcher to do for you. This dish is just as good if you decide to keep the chicken intact, you will just need to add some additional cooking time to allow the chicken to reach a desired 165 degrees.
I hope this one pan meal brings you and your family as much comfort as it does mine.
Enjoy,
Krista
Spatchcock Roast Chicken & Roast Vegetables
Ingredients
1, 3.5 - 4 pound chicken, spatchcocked (backbone removed and flattened)
To Marinade
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 lemon zested
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoon rosemary leaves
1 sprig rosemary
2 tablespoon thyme leaves
2 stalks thyme
To Roast
3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1 leek, sliced into 3" pieces
1/2 red onion, roughly sliced into wedges
1 lemon, sliced into thick wheels
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 3" pieces (if thicker, cut into 1/2 moons)
20 ish - multi-coloured nugget potatoes (add or take away depending on size of pan and people serving)
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 3" pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Pan Jus
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 - 1 cup stock (I used chicken)
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves, chopped
1-2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Method
Spatchcock chicken
Take chicken and flip over, breast side down. Using scissors, cut the back bone out one side at a time. Flip chicken over and pressing palms along sternum, crack bone so that chicken flattens.
To Prepare Marinade
In a small bowl add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, rosemary leaves, thyme leaves and mix. Gently rub mix all over chicken. Add chicken and all marinade juices to a zip top bag and massage. Place in refrigerator and marinate for up to 24 hours.
To Roast Chicken and Vegetables
Remove marinating chicken from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, about 1 hour. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Once room temperature, discard marinating bag and dab chicken dry with paper towels. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl add onion slices, leek, lemon, carrots, potatoes, and parsnips. Add olive oil and mix to coat. Place vegetables in an even layer on an oven proof roasting pan. Lay spatchcocked chicken on top. Place in oven and allow chicken to roast for about 45 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees (this will take longer if you do not spatchcock the chicken). Remove from oven, place chicken on a cutting board and tent cooked chicken with foil until ready to serve. Place vegetables in an oven safe dish and keep warm in oven on low until ready to serve.
For Pan Jus
Place hot cooking pan over medium heat element and add wine. Stir with wooden spoon to release the fond (brown bits) from the pan. Add chicken stock, rosemary, thyme and bring to a low boil. Continue stirring until liquid begins to reduce, about 5 minutes. Add butter and stir to combine.
To Serve
Cut rested chicken into pieces. Serve chicken on a plate with vegetables. Squeeze roasted lemon slice juice over chicken and vegetables and spoon 2-3 teaspoons of pan jus over top. Et voilà, you've got the perfect comfort food meal!
Photo above: Red Wine Pan Jus
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