Pairings & Recipes

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables (adapted from Jaime Oliver)

• 1 approximately 3.5 lb chicken  
• 2 medium onions
• 2 carrots

• 2 parsnips or turnips
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 bulb of garlic
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
a small bunch of fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage, or a mixture

To prepare your chicken
• Take your chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before it goes into the oven
• Preheat your oven to 475°F
• There’s no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a wash and roughly chop them
• Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled
• Pile all the vegetables and garlic into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil
• Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the bird
• Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife (if you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds at this point as this will really bring out the flavor)
• Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs

To cook your chicken
• Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven
• Turn the heat down immediately to 400°F and cook the chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes
• If you’re going to roast some more potatoes and vegetables separately, now is the time to get them cleaned and chopped    • Put potatoes and vegetables in a separate baking dish and into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking. Baste with the pan drippings.
• Baste the chicken halfway through and if the vegetables look dry, add a splash of water to stop them from burning
• When cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest
• Cover it with a layer of foil and a dish towel and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving

Serve the roasted chicken and the potatoes and vegetables with the pan drippings.  All you need to go with it is a simple green salad and crusty French bread and a red Cote du Rhone.

While many do not consider red wines with chicken, the Cote du Rhone is perfect for this meal. The country-style roasted chicken and root vegetables brings out the earthy flavors in the Cote du Rhone. A Cote du Rhone is not too overpowering and let the tenderness and hearty flavors of the chicken shine through.