Try this classic meal alone with your family or make it for guests!  This simple, one-pan dish is sure to impress and takes hardly any effort. When making this recipe, remember to choose organic chicken to avoid exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The Science

A study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology tested organic and conventional chicken from retail stores in Maryland for antibiotic-resistant Salmonella.  Researchers tested almost 200 organic chickens and 61 conventional chickens from supermarkets across the state.  They found that 100% of Salmonella sampled from conventional chickens were resistant to a minimum of five antibiotics and oftentimes more.  Conversely, almost 80% of Salmonella sampled from the organic chickens were vulnerable to the 17 antibiotics tested in the study.

The Recipe

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 organic roasting chicken (about 5 lbs.)
• 4 cloves organic garlic
• 1 Tbs. salt
• 2 Tbs. organic vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Vegetables

•  

  2 small organic beets

• 3 organic red potatoes
• 2 organic carrots
• 2 Tbs. organic vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. organic garlic powder
• 2 Tbs. finely chopped organic rosemary
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the giblets and neck from the chicken cavity and discard or set aside for future use. Use your hands to coat the chicken with the vegetable oil and place breast up into a large roasting pan. Coarsely chop the garlic. Mix the garlic with salt and place it in the chicken’s cavity. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken. Truss the chicken by tying the legs together with kitchen string.

Vegetables

Peel the carrots and beets. Chop beets and potatoes into cubes that are approximately 2 square inches. Quarter the carrots lengthwise, and cut the sticks in half (if you are using skinny carrots, just cut them in half lengthwise).  Put the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and toss in oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper until fully coated. Transfer the vegetables into the baking pan with the chicken, and arrange them in a single layer surrounding the chicken.

Chicken and Vegetables

Place the chicken and vegetables in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.  Cook chicken until it reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh as measured by a meat thermometer (approximate cooking time can be calculated as 20 minutes for the first pound and 15 minutes per pound thereafter). Stir vegetables half way through.

If the top of the chicken is browning too quickly, lightly cover with a sheet of foil once it reaches the level of brown that you desire.

When chicken internally reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven, cover with foil and allow it to sit for 15 minutes.  Spoon vegetables into a serving bowl, carve chicken and serve immediately.

Banner Photo Credit: Jennifer Burk; unsplash.com