Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

Back to school means fall and fall means heartier meals. This roasted chicken with root vegetables is a great option for a weeknight dinner. Why? Because much of the work can be done ahead of time! Most of the work is prepping the vegetables, this can be done the night before or even on the weekend if you are meal planning the week. The actual cooking time is about 40 minutes. Most of that time the dish is in the oven so you are free to look over school work, check mail, switch the laundry, or do another quick task that needs to be taken care of.

To make this roasted chicken with root vegetables you will need the following –

4-6 boneless chicken breast
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, minced
1 tsp Fresh Thyme, minced
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP Butter
1/2 C White Wine
3 TBSP Honey
3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced
4 Carrots, peeled and diced
1 tsp Fennel
2 C Chicken Broth
3 Bay Leaves

You will also need a large roasting pan, a large microwave-safe bowl with a microwave-safe cover, and a large skillet.

If sweet potatoes and carrots are not your thing feel free to use other root vegetables like rutabagas, jicama, maca, or parsnips.

First, do your prep work. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes and carrots. Mince your fresh herbs. This can be done ahead of time to save you time during the week.

Next, preheat the oven to 375F.

In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme. Give it a good stir to mix them together.

Season the chicken with about half the herb mixture.

Heat a large skillet over medium to high heat. Once the skillet is hot, melt the butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. You are searing the chicken to keep the juices inside for a moist chicken breast.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and set aside.

Time to deglaze the pan! Add the wine and 2 tbsp of honey to the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes while stirring it to loosen any brown bit.

In a large microwave-safe bowl combine the sweet potatoes, carrots, fennel, remaining herb mixture, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tbsp honey. Stir until all the vegetables have a light coating.

Place the cover on the bowl and microwave on high for 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Once the vegetables are done, pour the mixture into the roasting pan.

Add the chicken broth, wine mixture and bay leaves to the roasting pan and stir.

Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.

Bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes.

You need to make sure the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165F and the vegetables are soft.  Thicker chicken breasts will need less time to bake. I used four thick chicken breast and it took 40 minutes for them to cook.

Once the chicken and vegetables are cooked it’s time to eat!

Enjoy!

Be sure to check out our other weeknight dinner recipes.