Winter Roast Chicken
Ingredients
2 4-6lb whole chickens (ingredients for 1 whole chicken below)
1 cup avocado or olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1 lemon
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 red onion, sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced
3 large carrots, sliced on the bias
Method
Line a sheet tray with foil and paper towels. Remove both chickens from the packaging and rinse them off thoroughly. Place them on the sheet tray and pat them dry. On a large cutting board, place one of the chickens breast side down. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut along either side of the backbone, removing it. Make a small slit in the breast bone. Flip the chicken over so it is breast side is up. Press down on the chicken; you should hear a snap and the chicken should lay flat. Repeat this process with the other chicken. Once both chickens have been spatchcocked, place them back on the sheet tray. Save the backbones for stock or discard.
In a very large bowl that will fit both chickens, whisk together the oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, rosemary, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Place both chickens in the marinade and turn them until both are completely covered in the marinade. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for 8-24 hours.
1 hour before you plan to cook the chickens, remove them from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Prep the veggies by peeling and slicing the red onion, removing the top of the fennel (save for stock or a salad), slicing the bulb in half, and thinly slicing, peeling, and slicing the carrot on the bias. Remove the chickens from the marinade and place them on a sheet tray. Toss the prepped vegetables in the remaining marinade and dump them into a large roasting pan. Place each chicken on the bed of veggies, breast side up (pictured below).
Place the roasting pan with the chicken and veggies in the preheated oven to bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 400°F and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, rotate the pan 180°F so what was at the back is now in the front and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. After another 10 minutes, check the internal temperature. We want an internal temperature of around 150°F-155°F. If the chicken is up to temperature, remove it from the oven to rest; if not, continue to bake, checking every 8 minutes.
Allow the chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving to allow the juices to seep back into the chicken. Carve the chicken and serve it with mashed potatoes, green beans, or any of your favorite sides. Enjoy!
Notes
I use the All-Clad large stainless steel roasting pan (16 3/4" x 13 3/4" x 2 1/2"). Anything that will fit two chickens side by side will work!
If you wish to make only one roast chicken, simply halve the recipe. I’ll list the recipe for one chicken below. All instructions stay the same; just modify to use only one chicken.
1 4-6lb whole chicken
1/2 cup avocado or olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried rosmary
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 red onion
2 large carrots
1/2 fennel bulb
