Roasting chicken or turkey sometimes seems like a lot of work, but it’s actually really simple! If you find yourself with a whole chicken on your hands at some point in the near future, definitely consider this delicious herb roasted chicken, slightly sweetened with sliced apples. This recipe is perfect for when you have an abundance of apples and are tired of baked goods, or when you just want to try a chicken dish that’s different and tasty. The rub that goes on this chicken (along with the entire recipe) is simple and straightforward, and sometimes that’s all you need to get a fantastic, comforting, home-cooked meal that will have everyone raving about it and demanding seconds!
Apple and Herb Roasted Chicken
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 3-4 apples, sliced
- 6 large carrots, sliced
- 6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
- 2 onions, quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- cooking twine
Rub:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 10 sprigs fresh rosemary, de-stemmed, chopped, divided
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed, chopped, divided
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425º F.
- Rinse chicken in cold water, remove giblets from inside the cavity and pat dry with paper towels.
- Season cavity of chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and add 2 sprigs rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme, several apple slices and 2 cloves peeled garlic.
- Truss chicken by tying the legs together with cooking twine.
- Arrange potatoes, carrots and onions on the bottom of roasting pan, and season with salt and pepper. Lay apple slices and garlic on top of vegetables.
- In a medium bowl, mix olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper together, and rub all over chicken, top and bottom.
- Reserve 1 tablespoon herb mixture and sprinkle over vegetables and apples.
- Place chicken, breast side up, on top of vegetables in roasting pan.
Optional: reserve 1 apple slice to place on top of chicken.
- Place roasting pan in oven and bake for 75-80 minutes, or until meat thermometer (inserted into thickest part of chicken, generally the thigh) reads 170º F.
- Remove from oven and let cool, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Carve and serve hot.
Recipe adapted from Java Cupcake