ROASTED SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN WITH ROOT VEGETABLES & GREENS (serves 4-6)
Don’t be overwhelmed by the ingredient list for this recipe, it’s loaded with simple but delicious vegetables, herbs and spices you can find easily in your cabinet or local grocery store. The beauty of this meal? The simple ingredients come together in a cozy, fulfilling meal that’s perfect for Sunday dinner, easy entertaining or fast meal prep. The flavors are to die for, as are the heavenly aromas that will fill your house while it’s all roasting! I cook this meal a few times a month and use the leftovers throughout the week in salads, wraps and buddha bowls. PS. You’ll never believe it’s effortlessly gluten, dairy, soy, corn and sugar free. Totally allergy and special protocol friendly!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Small bunch fresh rosemary
Small bunch fresh thyme
1 Whole organic chicken, back bone removed and breast plate flattened (ask the butcher/meat counter attendant to do this for you OR watch this video )
2 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 Parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Medium yam or sweet potato, cut into 1 inch pieces (I love using purple sweet potatoes but Garnet yams or any variety works!)
1 Pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and cut in 1/2
½ Large green cabbage, shredded
4 Garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
4 Shallots, peeled and quartered
2 Teaspoons onion powder
2 Teaspoons dried parsley
1 Teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
Salt & fresh ground pepper
2 Tablespoons avocado oil + more for searing chicken
Optional: Herbs de Provence
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450
Wash and dry your rosemary and thyme and set aside.
Spatcock your chicken (see above). Remove any massive globs of fat but be sure to leave the skin in tact - especially over the breasts - to prevent the meat from drying out. Salt and pepper the underside of the chicken and sprinkle with Herbs de Provence if using.
Flip chicken over and slip slices of garlic and a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme under the chicken skin on the breast and thighs. Be sure to reserve a few sprigs of each to toss in with the veggies later. Rub the skin with a little avocado oil and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Chop all your veggies. If your parsnips or carrots are thick up top, cut in half horizontally so all your pieces are about 1 in x 1 inch. No need for exact sizes, but you want things to all be about the same size to cook evenly. Half way through your chopping, warm a cast iron skillet over medium-high.
In a large bowl, toss together chopped veggies (excluding garlic), 2 tablespoons avocado oil, onion powder, parsley, garlic powder, fresh ground pepper and about ½ teaspoon of salt (you can add more to taste later). Arrange veggie mixture in a large roasting pan and put into preheated oven on center rack. It’s ok if it seems dry at this stage, the juices from the chicken will drip down onto everything so you don’t want to soak the veggies in oil. It’s overkill!
The skillet should be hot by now (you can drop a small drop of water onto it to make sure it sizzles and dissolves to check). Coat the pan with about 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and add your spatchcocked chicken, skin side down. Brown skin for about 5 minutes, flip and brown the bottom for 3 minutes.
Remove roasting pan from oven and stir veggies. Add reserved sprigs of herbs. Place chicken on top and roast for 35-40 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165 (test in breast and leg).
Rotate pan and stir veggies around ½ way through cooking time.
Remove roast from oven, turn off oven and set chicken on a cutting board to rest for about 10 minutes. Place veggies back in the oven (as long as not overcooked) to crisp up in the OFF oven while the chicken rests.
Serve chicken skin-on over roasted veggies and ENJOY!