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Roast Chicken with Grapes, Lemon & Carrots

Course Main Course
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 3-4 pound chicken ideally pasture-raised
  • 1 cup whole grapes red or green are both fine
  • 6 medium-sized carrots you can leave them whole! Or chop in the middle once
  • 1 medium onion chopped into quarters
  • 1 head of garlic chopped in half through the center horizontally
  • 1 whole lemon chopped into eighths
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Butter rub with lemon and garlic

  • 3 tablespoons butter softened
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375, and double-check that your oven racks are set far enough apart for your chicken to comfortably sit on the lower rack without grazing the top rack (hey, it can happen!)
  2. Place the grapes, carrots, onion, lemon and garlic head halves in a large-sized roasting tray. Toss with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.
  3. Combine all ingredients for the butter rub in a small bowl. Set aside.
  4. Prepare your chicken: Make sure there's nothing in the cavity of the chicken (such a giblets or the neck. If so, save those for chicken stock by putting them in a bag in the freezer!).
  5. Place the chicken on top of the prepared vegetables in the roasting tray. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel if needed. If you would like, tie the legs together at the foot joint with kitchen twine at this point. It isn't necessary, but does lend to a more sightly bird when all is cooked up and done!
  6. Using your fingers, gently separate the skin of the breasts away from the bird, creating a pocket between the muscle and the skin. Work half of the butter rub inside of these two pockets.
  7. Massage the remaining half of the butter rub onto the top of the skin of the chicken all over--breasts, legs, wings, etc. Work quickly if your chicken is straight from the fridge and still has a chill--the butter will stiffen as it's being worked onto the cold bird!
  8. Place the roasting tray with vegetables and chicken in the preheated oven, and allow to roast for 1 hour and 15-45 minutes, depending on the size of your bird. If you have a meat thermometer, cook the chicken until a thermometer inserted into the largest part of the bird's thigh registers at 160 degrees fahrenheit.
  9. Remove the tray from the oven, and allow the roast chicken to sit (you can cover with foil to keep the bird warm) for about 20 minutes before carving.