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This lemon thyme roast chicken with root vegetables is an easy one-pan roasted whole chicken recipe. The chicken is cooked in a pan with mushrooms, garlic, parsnips and carrots, which makes for a complete meal. It’s a delicious and healthy meal.
I love a good roast chicken. Add some cottage cheese mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus and you have a savory gourmet meal.
This roasted chicken with root vegetables recipe is my all time favorite roast chicken recipe. The chicken is seasoned with lemon, thyme, and rosemary. It is cooked in a pan with mushrooms, garlic, parsnip, and carrots. And everything cooks until the chicken is juicy and fragrant. It makes for an impressive meal that is surprisingly easy to make.
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
- This recipe is SO easy to make! You literally just put everything into a pan and it cooks itself.
- The result, is impressive! You’ve got a gourmet meal that will be a crowd pleaser.
- It’s a protein-packed, nutrient dense meal.
- It’s got lots of roasted root vegetables inside, which are full of fiber and antioxidants.
- This recipe is naturally dairy free, gluten free, Whole30 and Paleo.
Recipe ingredients
- roasting chicken– This recipe is for a 5 pound roasting chicken. It usually comes with the neck and giblets inside.
- dried thyme– this helps season the dish.
- dried rosemary-this seasons the dish as well.
- lemon– this is used to season the chicken both inside and outside of the cavity.
- garlic and onion– These help season the gravy that will surround the root veggies.
- parsnip– this is a flavorful root veggie.
- mushrooms– any type works. I like using Bella mushrooms.
- carrots– these are a more common root veggie.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions/ Substitutions
- You can add more lemon if you want even more lemon flavor.
- You can use just onion or just garlic, based on your preferences.
- Instead of parsnip, you can use rutabagas or turnips.
- You can add potatoes to the pan.
- You can omit the mushrooms, if you don’t like them.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Mix the salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme together in a bowl.
Step 2: Put the spices on top of the chicken in the pan.
Step 3: Add the garlic cloves and sliced onion to the pan around the chicken.
Step 4: Sprinkle lemon juice inside the chicken and in the pan. Add sliced lemon to the chicken.
Step 5: Add the root vegetables and mushrooms to the pan. Top the chicken and veggies with olive oil.
Step 6: Bake until chicken is cooked through.
Recipe FAQs
Root vegetables are grown underground. This includes garlic, onion, parsnips, carrots. Basically everything that is in the pan with the chicken.
If you cut into it and the juices are clear (not pink), and the chicken has an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
You don’t have to. I like to do it, but I’ve left it uncovered and it gives the chicken a crispy skin.
Other chicken recipes you’ll love
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 roasting chicken ( roughly 5 lbs)
- 2 teaspoons course sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 lemon, sliced into 3 pieces
- 1 head of garlic, remove all cloves from the head of garlic and peel off the skin. (There should be about 10 cloves)
- 1 onion or shallot, sliced
- 3-4 parsnips, chopped into larger pieces
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 6-8 large carrots, chopped into larger pieces
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease the bottom of your roasting pan with olive oil.
- Remove the inside of the chicken (the giblets) and place it upside down (thighs up) into a roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons of course sea salt, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon of thyme, and 1 teaspoon of rosemary together. Put a sprinkle of the seasoning mix inside of the chicken (in the cavity). Rub the rest of the seasoning onto the outside of the chicken.
- Add 1 clove of garlic to the chicken cavity and put the rest in the pan surrounding the chicken. Add the sliced onion to the pan as well.
- Squeeze one piece of the lemon into the chicken cavity and then put the lemon piece into the cavity. Take the second piece of lemon and squeeze the lemon juice into the pan with the garlic and onion. Take the third piece of the lemon and slice into thinner slices. Place on top of the chicken.
- Put the pieces of parsnip, mushrooms, and carrots around the chicken.
- Evenly pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil onto the the veggies surrounding the chicken. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of thyme onto the veggies.
- Spray the chicken with an olive oil or greasing spray.
- Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for another 15-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- The chicken will be done when you can cut between the leg and the thigh and only clear juices come out. It also is considered done if it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
Notes
- You can add more lemon if you want even more lemon flavor.
- You can use just onion or just garlic, based on your preferences.
- Instead of parsnip, you can use rutabagas or turnips.
- You can add potatoes to the pan.
- You can omit the mushrooms, if you don’t like them.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made this several times varying the vegetables and it always comes out delicious!
I’m so glad! This is my go-to recipe.
Yummmmm, now I need to try your lemon version.. looks soooo good!!!
Looks like another classic favorite, a Better healthier one !
Thank you! I’ll have to ask you how you make yours for my next one!