Thanksgiving Chicken

Baked whole chicken on top of chopped carrots, potatoes, and onions in a sheet pan.

This Thanksgiving Chicken is a simple one-pan holiday mealmade with a whole chicken, carrots, potatoes, celery, and onion. Garlic herbbutter rubbed under and over the skin keeps the chicken juicy and flavorfulwith crispy, golden skin.

Mirepoix refers to the combination of onion, celery, and carrots. My version may not be exactly the same as a culinary chef, but I like to use the term here, just to distinguish between the vegetable stuffing and the pan vegetables.

Course Dinner, Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 45

Time for chicken to come to room temp 30

Total Time 2 45

Servings

Calories 1006kcal

Author Anne Clark

Ingredients

5 lb whole chicken (set on countertop for 30 minutes to allow to come to room temperature)
5 whole carrots, peeled approx. 2 for the Mirepoix, 3 for the pan
5 celery stalks approx. 2 for the Mirepoix, 3 for the pan
½ small onion for the Mirepoix only
4 small Yukon potatoes, peeled or unpeeled for the pan only
1+½ tablespoon olive oil

Garlic Herb Butter

8 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1+½ teaspoon minced garlic from a jar not dehydrated
2 teaspoon course kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil flakes
1 teaspoon salt-free poultry seasoning Walmart brand is salt-free
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard. Gently separate the skin from the meat with your fingers, trying not to tear the skin. Set aside for now. Wash and dry your hands :)
Make the Mirepoix: Chop about 1-½ carrots, 1-½ celery stalks, and the onion into ½-inch small pieces. You will need ½ cup of each vegetable. The pieces need to be small because they will get stuffed inside the chicken. Place the Mirepoix in a bowl and set aside for now.
For the pan vegetables: Chop 3 carrots, 3 celery stalks, and 4 potatoes into chunks. Place the chopped vegetables on the bottom of a rimmed roasting pan or broiler pan (recipe tested using a 12" x 16" x 1" broiler pan) without a rack. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and toss until the vegetables are coated. Spread the vegetables evenly in the pan.
Make the garlic herb butter: In a small bowl, add the butter, garlic, salt, parsley, basil, poultry seasoning, smoked paprika, and pepper. Stir until well blended.
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables that are in the roasting pan.
Stuff the Mirepoix inside the cavity of the chicken.
Rub half of the garlic herb butter on the meat under the skin of the chicken. Try to get the butter mixture under the skin of the breasts, thighs, and legs as best you can.
Rub the remaining butter mixture all over the outside of the chicken.
Place the pan on the center oven rack. Bake for 15 minutes per pound of chicken or until a meat thermometer reads 165F. For me, the chicken was done at 75 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Pat the chicken dry before adding the garlic herb butter. The butter sticks to the skin much better when the chicken isn't wet.
Loosen the skin gently with your fingers. Work slowly so you can spread the garlic herb butter underneath without tearing the skin.
Cut the pan vegetables into fairly large chunks. They'll be roasting underneath the chicken for quite a while, so you don't want tiny pieces that get too soft.
Check the chicken a little early. My 5-pound chicken was done in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Since chickens and ovens vary, start checking the temperature before you think you'll need to.
Let the chicken rest before carving. Give it about 10-15 minutes so you don't lose all those juices when you cut into it.
Need a side? Try my Thanksgiving Fruit Salad!

Nutrition