Roast Chicken and Vegetables take very little time to prepare. The resulting crispy skin, tender meat, and succulent vegetables are delicious.
I am not sure you will ever hear the end of our trip to France. Is that okay with you? I have a list a mile long of recipes to make based on our experiences traveling throughout France last fall. We ate well, that is for sure.
Today’s recipe is not one we had in France. It’s one that we smelled in France. Every day in Paris, we were tempted by the savory aroma of roast chicken and vegetables on our walk from our apartment to the metro station.
Roast Chicken and Vegetables
In the mornings we saw this row of rotisserie chickens poised over a pile of bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and potatoes. I thought it was the strangest combination of vegetables to pair with a roast chicken, but the smell convinced me otherwise.
While we never bought the butcher’s chicken, I quizzed Jen about the combination when I got home. I think she was a little surprised that I even asked the question.
Carrots, potatoes, and onions I get. I roast those with meat all the time. I’d just never used peppers and tomatoes in the roasting pan. But, man! I’m glad I tried it. I’ve been making this dish throughout the winter.
Since this dish is basically a one-dish supper, it’s super easy to pull together. Clean and trim the vegetables, toss them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Season the chicken. Put them all together in a roasting pan and slide it in the oven.
Then just walk away.
Depending on the size of your chicken, it may take several hours to cook in the oven, but trust me, your house will smell AMAZING!
I use a very large pan, this gold one, and an instant read meat thermometer to make the roasting process an easy one. Line the pan with foil for easy clean up!
Other French dishes inspired by our trip:
- Escalivada
- Ham and Gruyere Quiche
- Sausage and Potatoes with Sour Cream Sauce
- Ham and Cheese Salad
- Croque-Monsieur
- Herbes de Provence
- 3 pounds small gold potatoes trimmed and cut in half
- 2 bell peppers any color
- 2 onions sliced
- 2 roma tomatoes cored and quartered
- 5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- garlic powder
- 2 1/2 to 3 pound roasting chicken
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
- In a large bowl combine the potatoes, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Transfer vegetables to the baking pan.
- Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the pan. If you place it breast down, the meat will be more tender, but the skin won’t get crisp. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Roast the chicken and vegetables for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°. Remove the chicken to a cutting board for carving. Serve the chicken with the vegetables.
I use a very large pan, this gold one, and an instant read meat thermometer to make the roasting process an easy one. Line the pan with foil for easy clean up!
Quiche Recipe Basics
Sausage Potato Soup
Salade Nicoise Recipe
Turkey and Ham Cobb Salad
Ham and Gruyere Quiche with Leeks
I roast chicken and vegetables often (on a stoneware pan); it’s one of my husband’s favorites! Even better is the roasted chicken vegetable soup I make afterward with the leftovers chopped smaller, chicken broth( made from bones and skin of the previous week’s chicken and frozen), and whatever green veggies I have, like peas or beans. I use leftover mashed potatoes to thicken the soup or potato flakes as a thickener.
I like to change up the spices I use on the vegetables and chicken as well. Always oil (not olive, one with a higher smoke point like grapeseed), salt, and pepper.
Delicious!!
I also roast chicken with vegetables. When I make that, I put the chicken in the baking pan and around the chicken I add a couple of celery stalks, a quartered onion, some baby carrots, and a quartered tomato. I season the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, and rosemary, pour a little oil over the top of the chicken and add some water to the pan. After the chicken is done, I remove it and set aside, leaving the vegetables in the pan and I add some more water, a little salt and 1 cup of rice. When the water is absorbed, the rice is done and the vegetables are mixed in with it. But I agree with you, the roasted tomatoes are delicious and have such a nice savory flavor. Since mine are in the oven for longer than the chicken, the tomatoes get broken up but they still taste awesome.
I’ve done peppers, but not tomatoes. Ooh, something new to try.
Cooking it right now, smells amazing! Thanks for the idea.
I am going to try this – roasting breast side down. Curious as to where you put the thermometer to check doneness? I found a recipe that recommends putting salt under the skin of the breast the day before roasting, to guarantee tenderness. It does work, but we are eating too much salt!
I wanted to mention that I finally read all the posts about your European vacation – it was such a delightful account. what a great thing for your kids to look back on. I would love to travel like that but fear getting lost in a country in which I don’t speak the language! I should have studied harder in high school!!!
I forgot to add when I wrote above how I roast my chicken that I also put a couple of garlic cloves and a lemon sliced in half inside the chicken. It just adds a nice lemony garlic flavor to the chicken.
I love making roast chicken! To speed up the cooking time I use kitchen shears and cut out the backbone so it lays flat. It cooks so much faster and is just a delicious.
Definitely trying out the peppers and tomatoes idea! I have a bunch of cheap chicken drumsticks in the freezer this would be perfect with. I like lemon pepper mixed with garlic pepper for our chicken. Either that or the greek way – lemon juice, olive oil and garlic powder.
I’m with Jen, I’m surprised that this was surprising to you. It is also good if you add zucchini and summer squashes. Very Mediterranean. Toss in a little herbs de provence, maybe a splash of lemon. Oh, I need to go stock up on produce now so I can do this myself.
This is so good and flavorful! The peppers are must. So easy and yes your house will smell amazing!
Glad you agree!