Balsamic-Glazed Roast Chicken

This recipe is from my dear friend over at The Pantry Collective. You should go visit her and see what yummy things she makes. I've been drooling over that and other recipes for a while, and I finally got the chance to make it! Verdict: Delicious!!

I didn't have some of what was needed, so I improvised a bit. You might notice some differences between her recipe and mine here. :)

You need:

a roasting chicken
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs honey
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 tsp rosemary
1 large lemon, juiced and zested, quarters reserved
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 small beets, peeled and quartered
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in large pieces
2 medium onions, quartered

1. Wash your chicken, inside and out, and preheat your oven to 500ºF. Pat the chicken dry.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients, save the last four, in a small bowl and mix.
3. Arrange your chopped veggies in the bottom of a roasting pan. Plop the chicken down in the middle.
4. Stuff the chicken with some onion quarters, the lemon quarters, and all of the garlic. Pour the sauce over the chicken, being careful to cover all the surfaces.
5. Roast the entire pan, veg and all, lowering the temperature to 400 after you put the pan in.


It shouldn't take more than about 90 minutes or so, although if you have included beets in your mixed veg, make sure you don't mistake beet juices for uncooked chicken juice, or vice versa. We ended up roasting ours for so long that the bones all fell away! However, despite our error, the chicken was so so juicy and delicious, and the vegetables retained their shapes. We ate it with steamed green beans and orzo. And plenty of wine.

Bonus: my sister holding the plate of chicken and veg. She is a brave lady for carrying that chicken while wearing a white silk blazer/vest.