Valentines Day is just around the corner and with everything that’s happening, you may be having a special dinner at home or getting take out.
This Roasted Garlic Chicken Dinner is one of our favorites and I love to cook it for both special occasions and Sunday family dinners.
So what’s exactly on the menu? A delicious roasted garlic chicken, smashed parmesan butter potatoes, crispy baby broccoli and roasted carrots. I also love to start this meal with our Creamy Mushroom Garlic Soup or our Butternut Squash Soup is another fantastic option. You also can’t go wrong with adding some homemade French bread and a glass, or two, or wine!
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Roasted Garlic Chicken
For this meal we used about a 4 pound chicken. This would yield approximately 4 servings so you will have leftovers. You can also double this recipe if you are making for a larger family. We purchase our chickens from Whole Foods which have been our favorite so far. For us, they have had the best quality and we also love Whole Foods transparency with how the chickens were raised. Mary’s Chicken is our favorite- This was rated a “4” meaning the chicken was pasture raised. You can purchase your chicken here: Mary’s Whole Heirloom Chicken.
When getting ready to prepare your chicken, remove your chicken from the refrigerator about 15-30 minutes prior to cooking so it is not cold. Now as long as you are buying good quality meat, leaving it out on the counter for 30 minutes won’t harm you. Brining your meat to temperature will help achieve a juicer and evenly cooked meat.
Seasoning
Making a roasted chicken flavorful doesn’t require a long list of seasonings. For this recipe we use:
- Minced garlic + whole garlic cloves for the cavity
- Rosemary
- French Thyme
- Fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Garlic Lemon Seasoning ( mixture of roasted garlic, lemon, lemon peel, lemon oil and sea salt)
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
Before you start seasoning, be sure to pat dry your chicken. You are going to want to make sure you really massage the chicken with seasonings. Don’t be afraid to also get under the skin to season. The fresh lemon juice not only adds flavor but also makes it extra juicy.
Place a few whole garlic cloves along with half of a chopped lemon and a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme inside of the cavity for extra flavor. Once you are done seasoning the chicken you can tie the legs together if desired. See how in our video.
Cooking the Chicken
For this recipe we are going to cook it at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes to ensure our chicken has a nice golden, crispy skin. If you prefer it to not be this way you can skip this step and cook your chicken at 350 degrees the whole time. After cooking at 450 degrees, we are going to cook our chicken at 350 degrees for about 1hr 20 minutes. Cook your chicken for about 20 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees (near the thigh).
Garlic Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Pound Whole Chicken
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 Tsp Garlic Lemon Seasoning
- 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Lemon ½ juice for outside , ½ chopped for inside
- 2 Tsp Ground Pepper
- 3 Tsp Ground Sea Salt
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 4 Sprigs of Rosemary
- 4 Sprigs of Thyme
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°
- Pat dry your chicken and place into greased baking dish ( I used oil ). Pour olive oil over chicken.
- Add garlic lemon seasoning, salt & pepper, lemon juice, 2 sprigs of rosemary and thyme (leaves only) to outside of chicken. Massage seasonings into chicken. Be sure to get under the skin.
- Add remaining sprigs of rosemary and thyme, half of a lemon and garlic cloves to the chicken cavity.
- Tie chicken legs together with kitchen twine if desired.
- Cook in oven at 450° for 15 minutes then lower to 350° for remaining cook time ( approx. 1 hour for our 4 pound chicken). Cook chicken 20 minutes for every pound. Be sure to baste chicken a few times throughout cooking. Check with thermometer near thigh bone. Once it reaches it 165° the chicken is done.
- Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!
Notes
Kitchen Tools
Smashed Parmesan Potatoes
One of my favorite ways to eat potatoes… smashed! These are the perfect combo of both crispy and soft. They are also incredibly easy to make. Boil your potatoes until slightly soft in salted water. Once they are slightly cooled, place them on a baking sheet. Grab a cup or flat hard surface and gently mash the potatoes down.
After the potatoes are smashed top with melted butter or olive oil ( or both), garlic, salt, pepper and parmesan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for minutes. Broil for 2 minutes at the end if you like it extra crispy!
Smashed Parmesan Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 Small/ Medium Yellow or Red Potatoes
- 2 Tbsp Melted Butter
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder or Granulated Garlic
- ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Boil potatoes in salted water until slightly soft.
- Remove potatoes and let slightly cool and place on a baking sheet. With a cup or flat hard surface gently smash each potato.
- Top each potato with butter, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
- Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until crispy. You can broil for an additional 2 minutes if you like it extra crispy!
The fun thing about smashed potatoes is you can get totally creative with it! Some other great topping options would be broccoli and cheddar cheese or even carnalized onions and gruyere cheese.
Roasted Carrots & Baby Broccoli
For our vegetables, we kept it simple yet flavorful. We topped the vegetables with:
- Olive Oil
- Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper
- Italian Seasoning
You really can’t go wrong with these simple seasonings! Cover and cook your carrots at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender. For the baby broccoli, spread evenly on a baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes under tender. We also like our baby broccoli a little crispy so we placed it under the broiler for 2 minutes.
Time to eat!
This meal took about a total of 1 hour 30 minutes to prepare. It doesn’t require really any extra tools and is not complicated to make. It truly is a simple yet delicious meal that is perfect for date night! You can even try cooking this together- Mike and I love to cook together!
If you are tired of chicken and want a little variety try doing a small roasted turkey or even halibut if you’re craving seafood.
We hope you enjoy this meal whether it’s for a special occasion or a Sunday meal enjoyed with your family!
