{ Simple Roast Chicken + Sheet Pan Veggies }

“This dish, in a way, is the simplest sort of meal. A humble one, with no fancy trimmings and only a few tricks to make it all shine. It perhaps doesn’t have the sort of glamour that makes everyone jump off their Instagram feed and head to the kitchen. Yet, it’s something that absolutely everyone can pull off, no matter how busy you are. With some locally sourced ingredients at hand, it is deeply nourishing. Best of all, it’s something that once done, just keeps on giving. (Check out “Odds & Ends Chicken Salad Sammies”)

I cooked this meal on Monday, today is Wednesday and I’m still enjoying the fruit of what was less than an hour’s kitchen work. The trick? A whole chicken and a few bunches of farm-fresh veg.

A whole bird. Maybe that seems like a strange thing to cook nowadays when most of the meat you come by is in bits and pieces. A leg. A breast. So, why not the whole bird? I prefer it whole if I’m being honest. It’s just such a great way to get multiple meals out of something and it has so much more flavour to offer this way.” — Melanie Villeneuve, of The Northern Table

This wonderful recipe was a special contribution by Edmonton blogger, tea blender, and caterer Melanie Villeneuve for our veggie box members and particularly those receiving whole roasting chickens through us from Herbert Family Farm. Featuring our sweet garden beets, carrots, and cabbage, it was designed for those families who find themselves limited on time and energy yet still desiring to put together a wholesome, home-cooked, comfort meal. Thank you Mel. (For more delicious recipes head over to her blog, or purchase Canadian hand-blended teas and salts in her online store.)

Print Recipe

Simple Roast Chicken + Sheet Pan Veggies

* You may need a more cook time if you can’t fit the sheet pans and the chicken in the oven at the same time
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken:

  • 1 5-6lb whole chicken at room temperature, wing tips removed
  • 1 lemon halved
  • 4 whole garlic cloves
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, optional
  • 1 dash kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper

Vegetables:

  • 1 bunch beets
  • 1 bunch carrots
  • 1 medium head green cabbage
  • 3-4 garlic scapes
  • 2 tbsp wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • My favourite roasted chicken recipe of all time is this one. It’s deceivingly simple, always yields a moist bird. Start here >> https://food52.com/recipes/17568-barbara-kafka-s-simplest-roast-chicken
  • Chop off the tops of your beets, carrots & remove the exterior leaves of the cabbage. Give everything a good wash (removed parts as well, so you can use them in the next recipe)
  • Chop the cabbage in 4 or 6 pieces place on a sheet tray cut side up with a drizzle of olive oil & a sprinkle of salt. 
  • Chop the carrots & beets in pieces that are all roughly equal in size, give them a quick toss in olive oil and salt and place them on a baking sheet
  • If you’re doing the chicken at the same time (at 450°) then put them in during the last fifteen minutes of cook time.
  • In a medium-size bowl, put a little olive oil, the wine vinegar, salt & finely chopped garlic scapes. Use this to toss the veggies in before serving, it will elevate their flavor.
    Serve everything hot & enjoy.

Notes

Set aside the remaining chicken to make a chicken salad & use the bones to make some nourishing bone broth after the carcass has been picked clean of all that seems edible. You can freeze the bones & then make it later by covering in a large pot with water and a little salt and simmering for at least 6 hours. The gift that keeps on giving.
Check out >> "Odds & Ends Chicken Salad Sammies" to use up those remaining chicken and veggie pieces!