Roast chicken with seasonal vegetables .
The Sunday lunch that brings everyone together, no debate. Golden chicken thighs, root vegetables turned meltingly tender in the juices, fresh herbs. One tray, one quiet hour.
Steps step-by-step
-
Preheat and prep the vegetables
Preheat the oven to 200 °C fan. Peel the carrots and parsnips, cut into 4 cm chunks. Cut the onions into wedges. Leave the garlic whole, skin on.
If you use new carrots, keep the skin on, just washed. -
Season the chicken
Take the chicken out of the fridge 15 min ahead. Pat the thighs dry with a paper towel (that is what gives the crispy skin). Salt generously, pepper.
-
Build the tray
Arrange the carrots, parsnips, onions and garlic in a large roasting dish. Drizzle with 2 tbsp oil, salt, pepper, toss. Set the chicken thighs on top, skin side up. Drizzle the chicken with the last spoon of oil, tuck in the thyme and rosemary.
-
Roast for 35 minutes
Roast for 35 minutes. Halfway through, pull out the tray and spoon the juices over the chicken. The thighs should be golden, the juices clear when you pierce the bone.
If the skin is not browning enough near the end, finish 3 min under the grill. -
Rest and lemon
Take it out of the oven. Let it rest 5 minutes so the juices redistribute through the meat. Squeeze the lemon juice over everything just before serving.
-
Serve
Serve straight from the dish, each plate with 1 thigh, a portion of vegetables and 1-2 cloves of soft garlic to crush with a fork. Spoon a little cooking juice over the top.
Nutrition values
Per serving · 480 kcal · Moderate GICompatible with
- Type 2 diabetes · moderate GI, low glycemic load if you keep the parsnips measured
- Gluten-free · no grains, just check any stock you add
- Lactose-free · no butter, no cream
- Family · kids from 18 months, adjust the salt
- Halal · use halal-certified chicken
- Kosher · kosher chicken available from your butcher
Substitutions possible
- No thighs? A whole chicken cut into 4 (cook +10 min) or chicken drumsticks.
- Vegetarian? Swap for 2 butternut squash halved + 400 g chickpeas.
- No parsnips? Sweet potatoes, turnips, or new potatoes.
- Allium allergy? Skip the garlic and onion, flavor with fennel and celeriac.
- No fresh thyme? 1 tsp dried herbes de Provence, added from the start.
