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This Whole Roasted Lemon Sage Chicken with Root Vegetables and Potatoes is so simple yet so delicious and flavorful! Roasted with carrots, onions and potatoes- this is a cozy dish for anytime of the year.
Hello, hello!!
Christmas is in full swing around here, and I realized in the midst of all our holiday baking I haven’t posted many dinner recipes! I do have a few fancy dinners up my sleeve that I would like to share before the end of this month, but sometimes you just need a simple yet delicious meal, too! This Lemon Sage Roasted Chicken is a great go-to when the holidays are getting a bit crazy and you just need something easy.
We have been roasting whole chickens a lot this season and its always satisfying and delicious. Extra bonus: it makes your house smell and feel even more homey this time of year.
As someone who is always looking for new cuisines to try and ways to make things a bit more on the gourmet side, its a nice change of pace to have a simple hearty meal to slow down and enjoy as well. This time of year is so busy, lets not forget to pause and enjoy it!
What I love about this Whole Roasted Lemon Sage Chicken with Root Vegetables and Potatoes is that all the vegetables and potatoes that cook right along with it, making this a wonderful one pan meal.
One pan meals are the best, wouldn’t you agree?! Definitely a favorite around here.
So lets get to some of the details…
If you have the extra time, try brining the chicken first. Brining meat always turns out extra flavorful, juicy and tender. When I have the extra time for a good brine, its always worth the extra step. If you don’t have the time- no worries! I have roasted this chicken without brining first and its still delicious and juicy.
So what is brining? Brining is the process of soaking meat in salted water, causing the chicken to absorb some of the salted water through osmosis, creating an extra juicy meat after its cooked. The salt helps breakdown the meat making it even more tender.
If you do decide to brine first: The night before, get a food grade bucket, or extra large stockpot, and pour 1 liter of hot water, 1 cup table salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 teaspoons black peppercorns. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Pour into the same pot 3 liters of ice cold water. Place the chicken in the water mixture until its fully submerged. Place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
The day after the brine: Discard the brine mixture and fully rinse the chicken. Pat dry. Follow the recipe from the beginning when you’r ready to roast.
No brine: No worries! Just follow the recipe as written and you will still have a delicious roasted chicken.
When you’re ready to roast: You will begin by making the buttery lemon, sage wine sauce. In a medium sauce pan, melt the better. Add the wine, sage, garlic and salt.
Fresh sage is always better, but feel free to use dried sage if fresh isn’t an option.
For fresh sage, use 1-2 tablespoons; if using dried sage use 2 teaspoons.
Add half of the lemon butter sauce to the root vegetables and potatoes, keeping the other half of the sauce for later.
Place the chicken in the middle of a roasting pan, and tie the legs of the chicken with kitchen string. This allows for the legs to cook more evenly and also looks prettier. But don’t worry- you don’t have to tie the legs if you don’t have kitchen string on hand. Then rub the chicken with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Arrange the vegetables around the chicken.
You will first bake this chicken at a high heat- 425 degrees for 35 minutes. This will lock in the juices and give the skin a nice golden crisp. After 35 minutes you will turn the temperature down to 325 degrees F, and allow to cook until an internal temp reaches 160-165 degrees F.
In the last 10 minutes of roasting, you will baste the chicken with the remaining lemon butter sauce. Mmmmmm, whats better than lemon and butter together?!
If the internal temperature is in the 157-160 range, that is still good to take out of the oven. Remember, that hot chicken will continue to cook as it sits.
Make sure you allow the chicken to sit for 15 minutes before carving! You don’t want to lose all those delicious juices you worked so hard for.
And there you have it! The most delicious Whole Roasted Lemon Sage Chicken with Root Vegetables and Potatoes ever!
I sure hope you enjoy this simple, yet delicious roasted chicken as much as we do!
As always, I love hearing from you! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below.
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Happy holidays!
Don’t have a whole chicken to roast? Try our delicious Chicken in a Wild Mushroom Balsamic Cream Sauce for an easy, elegant meal!
If you make this, be sure to tag #butternutandsageblog on Instagram!
Recipe
Whole Roasted Lemon Sage Chicken with Root Vegetables and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 4 lb. whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 large carrots, peeled and and cut into rounds
- 1 ½ lbs red potatoes, cut into thirds
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 8 tablespoon (1 stick) salted butter
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the chicken in the middle of a non stick roasting pan and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Rub the chicken all over with the olive oil and season generously with the salt and pepper. Arrange the carrots, onions and potatoes around the chicken.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the fresh garlic and cook for 1 minute, being careful not to burn it. Next add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, sage, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle half of the butter sauce over the vegetables and toss to coat. Keep the extra butter sauce aside to use for later.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thick part of a thigh registers between 160-165 degrees, about 50-65 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Enjoy!
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