Bramble & Butter Magazine

with Roasted Vegetables

There’s something soul-soothing about the smell of roast chicken wafting through the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon. This recipe has been my tried-and-true for years—simple, rustic, and full of flavor. The butter melts into the skin, the rosemary and garlic infuse the meat, and the bed of caramelized vegetables turns this into a meal that feels like home.

---

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 1 whole chicken (about 4–5 lbs), giblets removed
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 5–7 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 bulb garlic, halved crosswise
• 1 tbsp kosher salt (for cavity)
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper (for cavity)
• ½ tbsp kosher salt (for skin)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (for skin)

For the Roasted Vegetable Bed:

• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 5 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp on extra virgin olive oil

---

Instructions

1. Prep the Vegetable Bed

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
Slice the fennel, carrots, celery, and onion, and spread them out in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper on the vegetables. This will serve as a flavorful base for the chicken and soak up all those glorious juices.

---

2. Prepare the Chicken

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, removing any leftover feathers. Make sure the giblets are removed (you can save them for stock).

Season the cavity with 1 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp pepper. Stuff with rosemary sprigs, the quartered lemon, and halved garlic bulb, packing everything well into the cavity.

Massage the chicken all over with the softened butter—don’t be shy! Make sure it’s completely coated. Sprinkle ½ tbsp salt and 1 tsp pepper evenly over the skin.

---

3. Truss and Roast

Tie the legs together with kitchen twine, tucking in the tail and securing the wings underneath if needed. Place the chicken breast-side up on the bed of vegetables in the roasting pan.

Roast uncovered in the preheated oven for 1½ hours, or until the skin is deeply golden and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.

---

Enjoy!

Let the chicken rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing. Serve with the beautifully roasted vegetables from the pan and a spoonful of the buttery drippings. Pair with crusty bread and a glass of white wine for a dinner that tastes like it came straight from a rustic countryside kitchen.