My family loves roast chicken. Crispy skin, juicy chicken, the smell infusing the entire house. To me, there is nothing better for Sunday evening dinner, especially on a cold, damp December day. The only issue with making an entire roast chicken is that it takes a while to make. When you’re running around shopping for Christmas, decorating the house and doing everything else that you need to do during this busy season, you just don’t have time to whip up a roast chicken. This recipe can be done from start to finish in one hour. Not only do you get beautiful roast chicken with crispy skin, but you also get wonderful caramelized carrots and delicious roasted potatoes that are infused with chicken drippings. It’s quick enough that you could even do it on a weeknight. I always make at least one extra piece of chicken and slice the breasts off the bone. All of the remaining meat goes into the freezer and can be easily pulled out on another night for chicken soup or a chicken pot pie.

So the next time you don’t think that you have enough time for roast chicken, think again – Enjoy a family meal in an hour

Ingredients

• 4-6 Chicken pieces (I prefer breasts, but you could use thighs and drumsticks as well)
• 2 bunches of fresh carrots (the kind with the nice green stems on top)
• 15-20 new baby potatoes
• 2 tbsp grape seed oil
• 1 -2 tbsp Steak Spice (I use Barbarians)
• 2 tsp Flakey Sea Salt (such as Maldon)
• Pepper

Equipment

• Large roasting pan
• A rack that can sit on top of the roasting pan

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the baby potatoes in half, and quarter the carrots by slicing them lengthwise and in half. Leave a tiny bit of the stem op top to achieve the rustic look. Toss the carrots and the potatoes with 1 tbsp of the grape seed oil. Season with them with 2 tsp sea salt and a good dash of pepper.

Place the rack on top of the roasting pan. Run the skins of the chicken pieces with the remaining grape seed oil. Season generously with steak spice (it may look like a lot, but this makes the skin crispy).

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Open the oven, remove the rack with the chicken, toss the potatoes and carrots and place the rack back on the roasting dish. Roast for an additional 20 minutes (45 minutes in total). If your chicken pieces are on the small side, check the temperature after 35 minutes. The skin should be completely crispy, and the breast meat should register 170 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.

Take off the rack with the chicken and place on a cutting board. Tent with foil. Toss the potatoes and carrots again and let them continue to roast while the chicken rests (approximately 10 minutes). I slice off the breast and save the bones and remaining meat for chicken soup or pot pies. Serve with any kind of wine (Chardonnay or Pinot Noir are good choices).