Apple Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

There is nothing in the world like the crunchy skin of a roast chicken! Even just typing that makes me salivate a little bit! Unfortunately for most of us, Roasted Chicken is something we only enjoy when we eat out or in the form of the sodium loaded, store-bought, already cooked chicken (and let me tell you, that skin… does not make me salivate!)

The reason for this? I think we all have a stigma that Roast Chicken is way too hard and too time consuming to make! Well I am here to crack that myth! While it does take about 1 ½ to cook, it takes under 15 minutes to prep the chicken and vegetables and get it in the oven.  And OH! is it worth it!

Also, this meal is very frugal. Buying a whole chicken is almost always the lowest cost way to get Free Range Chicken, and gives us 3-4 meals worth of Chicken, then I use the carcass to make home made Chicken Stock! I buy mine at Trader Joes. The chicken I used was over 6 lbs and only cost me $ 7.76!

I made this last night, in honor of the first day of fall! Both my husband and I were in heaven!!

Apple Roasted Chicken and Vegetables:

1 Whole Free Range Chicken (5-6 lbs)

2 Medium Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut into 2 inch cubes

3 Large Carrots, cut into 2 inch sections (or about 10-12 bite size carrots)

1 Medium onion, cut into 2 inch sections

2 Organic Apples (kind of your choice, I used a Braeburn) sliced

3 Cloves of Garlic, sliced in half

¼ Cup Coconut Oil

3 Tbps Spices of your choice, I used the following combo:

Preheat your oven to 425

As soon as you get the chicken home, salt it inside and out.

Rinse the Chicken inside and out (make sure you take out the gizzards). Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and stuff the cavity with the all the garlic and half of one apple (I put in 4 slices)

Melt the coconut oil over LOW heat until fully melted. Remove from heat. Add your 3 Tbps of spices to your melted coconut oil. Combine well.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it and the vegetable, breast down. Coat the Chicken (top and bottom) with your coconut oil mixture.

Scatter the onion slices, carrots and potatoes and remaining apples around the chicken.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour, 15minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil. Place the vegetables back in the oven and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes.

Drizzle some pan juices over the chicken and vegetables before serving.

The apples have such an amazing flavor! They taste like they have been soaked in cinnamon and sugar! Yum!

This recipe is our family’s favorite right now! I hope you will try it as well!

I am sharing this recipe on Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet!