Baked Chicken and Vegetables

It’s not often I’ll say this, but you’ve just gotta try this recipe!

Both my wife and I love roast chicken. It’s something I make at least once a month, usually following my old standby methods of stuffing the bird with citrus or apples, garlic, onions, and rosemary. There is nothing wrong with that method, and I know I’ll go back to it again.

This time I thought I’d try something a little different.

I’d picked up a whole fryer at the market early in the week with plans to make a roast chicken with the method described above. I almost always roast fryers. They don’t take very long to cook, and believe it or not, they come out a lot more moist than the big roasters do. The problem was that my fresh rosemary had gone fuzzy on me, and dried just doesn’t have the same effect. Also, I wanted some roasted potatoes and carrots, but I didn’t want to mess up the whole kitchen with dinner.

The solution to my dilemma was right inside the fridge door, in the form of a package of bacon.

I’ve laid a slice or two of bacon over the chicken before, but I decided to go a bit nuts this time, and I’m glad I did. (My arteries may not be happy, but my tongue and my tummy were ecstatic!)

Yield: 8 Servings

Baked Chicken and Vegetables Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 whole frying chicken, rinsed and dried
• 5-6 average sized red potatoes, sliced in approx. 3/4 inch rounds
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced in approx. 3/4 inch sections
• 3 carrots, cut in 3 inch lengths
• 3/4 package hickory-smoked bacon
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Lay sliced potatoes around the bottom of a large oven proof casserole or dutch oven. Separate onion into rings and scatter over potatoes. Throw in carrot chunks. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Season chicken with Salt and pepper, both inside and out. Place chicken in the center of dish and drape with bacon slices.
3. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until juices from chicken run clear and potatoes are fork tender. There will be a LOT of juice in the bottom of the pan.
4. Remove from heat and let rest for at least 20 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 247Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 103mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 9g

Nothing. Not a darned thing!

This chicken was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The veggies get a little braise going from the bacon and chicken drippings, which adds so much flavor that it’s just hard to describe.

I’d show you what it looked like plated, but it smelled so good I just couldn’t wait. The end result looked something like this: