Name: Beginner-Friendly Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 4-5 pound whole chicken; Salt and pepper; 2 to 3 springs of fresh rosemary; 3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter (divided); 1 lemon (halved); 4 garlic cloves (peeled); 4 large carrots (peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces); 1 lb Brussels sprouts (halved); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Recipe

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A simple recipe for roasted chicken and vegetables that yields perfectly cooked and juicy meat with a healthy side all in one pan.

Afraid the meat won’t be juicy, or the veggies might burn? I’ll take you step by step to achieve a tender, moist roasted chicken with perfectly roasted vegetables.

Roasted whole chicken on bed of vegetables

Whole Roasted Chicken with Veggies

Sometimes, when I’m in a rush, I’ll grab a rotisserie chicken from the store, but nothing beats making your own at home. You can add your favorite veggies and have much more control over the seasonings, and if you know what you’re doing, there’s no chance of a dry piece of meat.

My family loves chicken, and I use chicken pieces in lots of recipes, but a whole roasted chicken with vegetables is still one of our favorites. It requires minimal labor on my part, and the oven does the rest. I even use the bones and leftover skin for homemade chicken broth, so nothing goes to waste.

Seasoning a Whole Chicken for Roasting

To infuse your chicken with tons of flavor, I generously season under and over the skin with salt and pepper. I also drizzle the top of the chicken with olive oil or melted butter for crispy skins, and stuff it with rosemary, lemon, and garlic. Do all this, and you’ll have the most delicious, tender, and juicy roasted chicken!

How to Roast a Whole Chicken with Vegetables

Here are the steps and a video showing how to roast a whole chicken with vegetables. You’ll see that I tie the chicken, but that’s optional!

Prep the chicken by removing any gizzards or giblets, any excess fat or skin, and patting it dry to help the seasonings stick to the meat and skin. Do not trim too much skin; you don’t want to expose meat underneath.
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Distribute oil or butter all around the skin and stuff the chicken with rosemary, lemon, and garlic.
Prep the vegetables and coat them with oil, salt, and pepper. Distribute them around the chicken.
Roast the chicken in a preheated oven for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the bird, so check chicken doneness after one hour. Cover with foil if the chicken is getting too browned.
Slice and serve after allowing the roasted chicken to rest for 5 minutes.

Should You Cover With Foil?

Some swear that covering the chicken with foil ensures more tender meat, while others argue it doesn't give that delicious, crispy skin. This is because it depends on how long you’re roasting the bird. The skin and butter/oil baste will do an excellent job of locking in moisture. If your bird begins to brown too quickly in the oven, place a piece of foil over the top.

How to Know When a Whole Chicken is Done Roasting

When roasting a 4-5 lb chicken at 425F, it will need approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to cook thoroughly. While it's good to go by the recipe, once the one-hour mark has passed, use a meat thermometer to check for doneness in the thigh and breast. White meat is fully cooked at 165F, and dark meat is cooked at 175F.

Tips for Crispy Skin and Juicy Meat

Along with this recipe, here are a few tips to make sure your roasted chicken comes out beautifully and delicious every single time:

Leave the skin on. It’s one less thing you have to do, and it helps keep the meat moist.

Be generous with the seasoning. If you want a flavorful, moist roasted chicken, fill the cavity with herbs and generously season both inside and outside the chicken skin.

Do not omit the fat, whether it is olive oil or melted butter. It helps lock in the moisture and get crispy golden chicken skin. Yummy!

How to Carve a Roasted Chicken

Once the chicken is rested, insert a carving knife blade between the breast meat and the center bone, starting at the line that separates the chicken breasts. Run it through and repeat on the other side.

Using your hands, remove the breasts and set them on a cutting board, slicing the meat against the grain into the desired thickness. From here, you can remove the thighs and wings, and serve them on a platter with the chicken breasts.

Serving Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Serve this chicken with the vegetables, and add rice or mashed potatoes on the side for extra nutrition and goodness! Learn how much chicken to serve per person here!

Beginner-Friendly Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 15

Total Time: 1 30

A simple recipe for roasted chicken and vegetables that yields perfectly cooked and juicy meat with a healthy side all in one pan.

5 from 19 votes

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Ingredients

4-5 pound whole chicken
Salt and pepper
2 to 3 springs of fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter, divided
1 lemon, halved
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Prep:

Position the top oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425F (220C).
Remove any gizzards and the neck from the cavity of the chicken. Pat it dry with a paper towel and remove any excess fat or skin from the chicken –this last step is optional and it depends on the chicken, but do not trim too much to expose meat from underneath.

Season the chicken:

Generously season the outside skin and the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or melted butter) over the top of the chicken and use a basting brush or your hands to distribute it all around the skin.
Stuff the chicken with the rosemary sprigs, the lemon halves, and the garlic cloves. Place the chicken inside a 9×13 baking dish (with sides).

Add the vegetables:

Chop the carrots and slice the Brussels sprouts in half. Add them into a large bowl, drizzle with about a tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat all the vegetables with the seasoning. Transfer the vegetables to the baking dish and distribute them around the chicken.

Roast:

Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes. After 50 minutes, if the chicken is getting too browned, cover with foil for the remainder of the cooking time. Check for doneness around the breast at 165F (75C) and 175F (80C) around the thigh after the 1-hour mark.
Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken onto a large cutting board to slice it and serve it with the roasted vegetables.