Veggie-Nested Roast Chicken
Hosting dinner is all about pulling out the stops—make it taste wonderful, make it smell great, and of course, make it look fantastic. And a whole roasted chicken fits the bill. Here, we create a “nest” of root vegetables to give that chicken a bit of height in the oven, and the result is a beautiful, layered bottom full of big flavor from the bird. And did we mention this is a one-pot meal? Make it in our USA Enamel™ dutch oven and serve directly to the table for something that looks like a lot of work, but really couldn’t be simpler.
Level
BeginnerPrep Time
30 minutesCook Time
75 minutesServes
4-6Cook it With Our
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, 5-6 pounds
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 lemons, quartered
2 shallots, cut in half
6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
4 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 sprigs thyme, plus 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons shaved parmesan
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Dry the chicken with paper towels, season with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme. Stuff the bird with lemon wedges and shallots, then truss.
- Make sweet potato and parsnip stacks: pile up 4 slices of sweet potato and two slices of parsnips, repeating until the stack is approximately 4 inches tall. Repeat until all the parsnips and sweet potatoes are stacked.
- Oil the inside of a large dutch oven and lay the stacks inside the dutch oven beginning around the perimeter. Fan out until the slices make a complete ring. Repeat with remaining stacks until the bottom of the cookware is full. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Add thyme sprigs and top with trussed bird.
- Cover and roast for 1 hour. Remove the lid and continue to roast for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is beautifully browned and cooked through.
- Remove the bird from the dutch oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Sprinkle sweet potatoes and parsnips with parmesan. Serve sliced chicken atop layers of sweet potato.
