By request, I'm also posting my recipe for Italian roasted chicken and veggies. LOL, my recipes are popular today! This dish is soo good. The chicken is roasted right on top of the veggies, and the juices from the bird give the veggies exceptional flavor.
1 whole chicken. It doesn't have to be an expensive roasting bird, just a plain 'ol fryer will do.
olive oil
2 ribs of celery
3 carrots, peeled
3 yellow squash
2-3 red potatoes, depending on size
2 zucchini
1 large sweet onion
2 portabella mushrooms (or 1 lb of crimini "baby bella" mushrooms)
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons dried parmesean cheese
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
small pinch of fennel seed
*you may notice that I recommend dried herbs and cheese. I've found that the fresh herbs and cheese don't stand up well to long roasting.*
Mix all the seasoning together in a small bowl. Cut all the veggies into 2-inch chunks and put in the bottom of a roasting pan. If you're using crimini mushrooms, put them in whole. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with a few pinches of the seasoning and toss to coat.
Take your chicken and rub the remaining seasoning all over the bird, inside and out. Also, slide your fingers under the skin to get the seasoning right up next to the meat. Let the flavoring soak in for a bit.
In the meantime, Put the veggies in the oven at 350 degrees and cook for one hour. After an hour, take the pan out. Put the chicken right on top of the hot veggies in the roasting pan. There should be enough veggies that the chicken is actually held up off the pan, kind of like a roasting rack would do. Slide it back into the oven.
Baste the chicken and veggies lightly with the juices from the pan (or with a bit of olive oil) every 45 minutes. If you poke the thigh deeply and the juices run clear, it's done. Or for optimum tenderness, you can do the "wiggle test": grab the leg and try to move it up and down. If the meat starts coming apart easily, it's done. Or...you can just be "new-fangled" and use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
Check the veggies, too. They should be fork-tender.
I'm serving this with polenta. But it also goes well with pasta or french bread.