Winner, Winner, Herb-Roasted Dinner

Classic French Whole Chicken Roasted with Aromatic Herbs and Quick-Roasted Vegetables

40 minutes
Serves 4
DinnerFrench
Herb's take

This fast-track French-inspired roast chicken delivers golden, crackling skin and juicy meat in under 45 minutes, all thanks to a high-heat spatchcock technique. You'll learn the art of flattening a whole bird for even, expedited cooking, plus the secret to perfectly roasted vegetables.

Ingredients

Yield
4

Instructions

  1. 01
    Preheat your oven to 450°F and place a large rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack in the middle position (Herb says: Preheating both oven and pan ensures you get a jump on crispy skin and caramelized veggies).
  2. 02
    Pat the spatchcocked chicken very dry with paper towels. Rub all over with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
  3. 03
    Mix the melted butter, minced garlic, lemon zest, chopped parsley, and half of the thyme and rosemary leaves in a bowl. Brush the mixture over both sides of the chicken, focusing on the skin side.
  4. 04
    Toss the carrots, potatoes, and onion wedges in a separate bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the remaining teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Scatter the vegetables in a single layer around the wire rack on the hot baking sheet.
  5. 05
    Nestle the remaining whole thyme and rosemary sprigs and the lemon wedges among the vegetables.
  6. 06
    Place the chicken, skin side up, flat on the wire rack above the vegetables. Roast for 25 minutes.
  7. 07
    Rotate the pan and stir the vegetables for even browning. Continue roasting for 13-15 minutes more, until the thickest part of the chicken thigh registers 160°F (Herb says: Spatchcocking exposes more skin to heat, crisping things up and cooking the bird in record time. Flat is flavor!).
  8. 08
    Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest 5 minutes before carving (Herb says: Resting lets juices redistribute, so you don't lose them all on the board).
  9. 09
    Arrange roasted vegetables on a platter. Carve the chicken into pieces and place on top. Sprinkle with extra parsley and squeeze roasted lemon wedges over everything before serving (Herb says: Acid at the end brightens up the roasted richness, never skip the final squeeze!).

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