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Roast Chicken and Root Vegetables Are the Perfect One-Pan Dinner Pair

That is, as long as you can get the timing right.
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Published Jan. 12, 2022.

Roast Chicken and Root Vegetables Are the Perfect One-Pan Dinner Pair

Roast chicken is one of those magical foods that is both comfort food and convenience dish. It also usually serves at least four people, making it our go-to for weeknights and leisurely evenings alike. But for the former, when it’s a Tuesday night after a day of work or school, time-saving tricks are imperative. We’re always looking for a way to kill two birds with one stone (or mash two potatoes with one fork, as we like to say). 

You could multitask, putting a chicken into the oven with one hand and steaming some broccoli and rice on the stovetop with the other. Or, you could truly streamline the process so that your chicken and vegetables roast on the same pan and are finished cooking at the same time. That’s what Cook’s Country’s did for their One-Pan Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables. Watch it cooked through step-by-step in the latest episode of Today’s Special with Ashley Moore.

Getting all of these ingredients to finish cooking at the same time takes some coordination. Because the vegetables and the chicken are going to cook concurrently at a high temperature, it’s important to choose some heartier varieties that won’t burn or turn to mush. Brussels sprouts, potatoes, shallots, and carrots are good choices. 

You also want to make sure you cut all the vegetables into similar sizes so that they cook evenly and at the same speed. On top of that, cutting each vegetable so that it has a flat surface means you can maximize browning and caramelization in the oven.

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Lastly, arrangement matters. Because the brussels sprouts are the most delicate of the bunch, we arrange them in the center of the baking sheet where they can be protected a bit.

To speed things up a bit, instead of a whole chicken, we opt for 3½ pounds of bone-in parts. Similar to the vegetable method, we put the more delicate breasts in the center and the dark meat on the outside. To boost browning and add flavor to both the chicken and the vegetables, a quick brush of thyme-rosemary butter is the finishing touch.

“I mean this is seriously so, so good,” Ashley says. “The chicken is super moist and tender, and that skin is so crispy.”

One-Pan Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

Juicy roast chicken and tender root vegetables complement each other on the plate. But could they work together in the oven?  
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