Home » Dinner » Chicken and turkey recipes » Roast chicken with vegetables
| |

Roast chicken with vegetables

French-style roast chicken with vegetables delivers a juicy bird with incredibly crispy skin. It is loaded with flavor from the butter and French herbs and really delivers when you want an impressive meal with little effort.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my rosemary lemon chicken thighs and Mediterranean baked chicken thighs recipes.

For ease of browsing, you can find all of my chicken recipes in one place.

Perfect roast chicken with French herbs.

Why you should make this roasted chicken with French herbs

Poulet rôti, as they French call it, is a staple. This one pan roast chicken is coated in butter and herbs and roasted until the skin crackles.

It makes the perfect weekend dinner, but it is easy enough for weeknight cooking. Round out the meal with vegetables tossed into the same pan with the chicken and dinner is done.

Perfect roast chicken and vegetables with French herbs.

Compound butter with French herbs

What is compound butter? Compound butter is simply butter with herbs, citrus zest, or spices mixed in. In this case, we are making a compound butter with French herbs – lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme and tarragon.

How to make roast chicken with vegetables

First, combine the herbs and the butter to make a compound butter.

How to make roast chicken with vegetables.

Place slices of onion in the cast iron pan – the chicken will sit on them. Add lemon to the cavity of the chicken.

Gently separate the skin from the breast meat of the chicken and work the mixture down to cover the entire breast. Coat the outside of the chicken with herb butter, then truss the bird, or tie the legs closed and tuck the wing tips under the back of the chicken.

Roast the chicken for an hour, adding the vegetables about 15 minutes into the cooking time.

Roast chicken with French herbs.

The best vegetables to cook with roast chicken

The best vegetables to make with this French roast chicken are the ones you like. I generally go with carrots, parsnips, baby potatoes, shallots and rutabaga.

You’ll want to choose hearty vegetables that can stand up to high heat. If you choose delicate vegetables like asparagus or summer squash, those will go in when you have about 15 – 20 minutes left of cooking – any earlier and they will overcook.

One pan roast chicken and veggies.

Tools and equipment

I love this recipe for its simplicity. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment or tools to make roast chicken with vegetables – just the basics.

Chicken dinner with herbs and lemon.

Roast chicken with vegetables Q & A

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes! You can make this meal up to 2 days ahead of time. Reheat in a warm oven to crisp up the skin.

Do I have to use the butter under the skin?

No, you don’t have to, but I do recommend it. You could put a thin layer on top of the skin if you don’t want to put it under the skin.

Should I use the convection fan in my oven?

YES. That fan in the back of your oven will circulate the air around the roast chicken, helping it to cook evenly and to crisp the skin.

What if I don’t have a cast iron skillet?

Roast the chicken in a roasting pan or in an oven-proof pan.

Serving suggestions

A loaf of crusty bread and a nice green salad would make this my perfect meal.

Roasted chicken with vegetables and herbs.

Please share

If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!

roast chicken image for Pinterest

I hope you love this French roast chicken with vegetables recipe as much as we do! Please consider rating and/or commenting.

Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.

French roast chicken and vegetables

Cheryl Bennett
Roast chicken and vegetables with French herbs is a healthy, comforting, any-time meal.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Chicken and turkey recipes
Cuisine French
Servings 4 servings
Calories 665 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken about 4 lbs.
  • 3 ounces butter softened
  • 2 tsp. lavender
  • 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1 tbsp. fresh sage chopped
  • 1 tbsp. fresh thyme chopped
  • 1 tsp. tarragon chopped
  • 1 large onion sliced into 4 rounds
  • 1 lemon halved and sliced
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. fresh black pepper
  • 3 shallots halved
  • 2 lbs. carrots and parsnips peeled and cut into 3 inch pieces
  • 2 lbs. baby potatoes optional

Instructions
 

  • At least 30 minutes (but no more than 1 hour) before you plan to start cooking the chicken, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come up to room temperature.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F with convection (450° without convection) // 220° – 230°C.
  • In a small bowl, combine softened butter with lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, tarragon and half of the salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly incorporated. (This is compound butter.)
  • Pat chicken completely dry with paper towels.
  • Very gently, separate the skin from the breast meat by sliding a couple fingers between the skin and the flesh to pull the membrane away from the meat. (*See note) Place about 3/4 of the compound butter on breast meat, spreading over both sides of the breast.
  • Use remaining compound butter to spread over the outside of the chicken. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper over the chicken.
  • Add sliced lemon to the cavity of the bird and use butcher's twine to tie the legs together. Tuck the wing tips under the back of the chicken.
  • Place the 4 rounds of onion in the bottom of a 10 – 12 in. cast iron skillet (or oven-proof sauté pan). Place the trussed chicken on top of the onions.
  • Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, then add vegetables. Scatter them around the chicken and return the pan to the oven for an additional 40 – 45 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Video

Notes

Try to be as gentle as possible when sliding your fingers between the skin and the breast meat. If it tears, don't panic – it happens. Just do your best not to make it worse. TIP: If you have long fingernails – WEAR GLOVES. I use these vinyl gloves even though I have short nails.

To check for doneness

The juices should run clear, if not put the chicken back in the oven for another 5 minutes and check it again after that – a meat thermometer should register 165°F. PLEASE REMEMBER – the chicken will continue to cook for a few minutes after it comes out of the oven. Just watch the meat thermometer – it will continue to rise before it starts to come down in temp.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 665kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 50gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 177mgSodium: 1051mgFiber: 15gSugar: 16g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

new signature

Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipe (other than for personal use) without prior written permission. Thank you!

Originally published 1/8/12, most recent update 7/12/22.

6 Comments

  1. That was a fantastic recipe! This is my first time making this incredible roasted chicken with the vegetable recipe. Having followed all of your suggestions, I decided to add corn and broccoli to the dish. So finally, I have a winner for a meal to prepare for my next party with friends.

    1. I’m so glad you liked it, Joseph! It is super easy and a great way to use up little bit of veg in the fridge, or cook with seasonal veggies.

  2. Always happy for another delish chicken recipe. I’m sure this dish will be a hit in our household.

  3. Hi, I am planning to make this recipe soon. If I use dried rather than fresh herbs, would I cut the quantities of herbs by half or a third? Thank you.

    1. Hi Denise, that’s exactly correct. Use 1/3 the amount. Unless, there is something you REALLY like and you’re feeling sassy. Then, use just a pinch more. Just make sure your dried hers are not expired or old. They should have a strong smell and good color.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating