The best meals are the most simple. They are effortless & comforting in both their preparation and presentation. Root vegetables…potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic…all roasted along side a small plump chicken…scented with fresh thyme leaves…salted & peppered…cooked in one dish so that all the juices intermingle is one of my favorite meals of this season.
A couple of things of note….Hello October my favortite month and right after my printable recipes I am now adding a section for “sources”…where to find some of the fun things you might see here at Food on Fifth from props to kitchen tools. Let me know what you think.
The vegetables came from the Downtown Nashville Farmer’s Market and the small, plump chicken from my CSA, Fresh Harvest. I buy a few of these organic chickens at one time and keep them in my freezer so I always have them on hand.
Well….you can’t, can you?
After lightly browning on both sides in some olive oil on top of the stove, I sprinkle lots of chopped garlic over the top, snuggle the potatoes, onions & carrots around the chicken, add a generous grinding of black pepper, fresh thyme leaves and sea salt and it is ready for the oven.
An hour or so later, golden brown crispy skin, just right softened vegetables & more thyme and our dinner is ready. A glass of wine and some good crusty bread for sopping the juices…Bring it on October! Make every meal count.

(quote from the Chicken Little book)
Garlic Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables
Ingredients:
- One 2-3 lb chicken, organic preferred
- olive oil
- 2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
- 8 small red potatoes
- 4 carrots, trimmed & peeled
- 2 red onions, chopped in large pieces
- fresh thyme sprigs & leaves
- 1/2 cup water
- Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Rinse and pat roasting hen dry inside and out.
- Heat olive oil in a pan that can go from stove top to the oven for roasting. Brown the hen on the top and bottom. Turn heat off.
- Pat the minced garlic and thyme leaves onto the hen.
- Snuggle the vegetables around the hen. Sprinkle over all with a generous amount of black pepper and sea salt.
- Pour 1/2 cup water into the pan. Roast for 1 1/2 hour or until the juices from the hen run clear and the root vegetables are cooked al dente soft. Garnish with thyme sprigs.
- Serve chicken pieces & vegetables in a bowl with some of the juices, a good crusty baguette for sopping and a glass of decent wine for optimum contentment.
Making good stuff you see here easy to find:
All-Clad Pan Sauteuse – From Stove-top to Oven – Sur la Table, Williams Sonoma, Macy’s
Mid Century Silver Plate Serving Fork – Nashville Flea Market
Wooden Handle Knife – West Elm, Schmidt Brothers
Flatware, White Bowl, Tablecloth, Wine Glass – Food on Fifth prop collection
“You Can’t Eat Money” Artwork by C.M.L.
I know what I am making for dinner tomorrow!! Delicioso!!
I am into the one dish dinner…only one pot to clean so it is under the “3 pot rule!”.
This type of meal truly speaks to the core of my being. Those were the kind of meals that we were raised on and some of the best comfort food I run to during the cooler months. lovely post Teresa.
Thank you Charles for stopping by…so nice to see you and congrats on your new home!
What a great comforting meal. Delicious, “Chicken Little” is one of my favorite children’s books.
My September has been so harried with with work that we just needed a good chicken and vegs for a sit down dinner. Thanks much.
I am big on chicken one pots too, though my son often queries the lack of gravy (I just cannot do that packet thing) but realises that the flavours make up for it. I love the simplicity of your combination and no you can’t!! Lovely to see where you get everything from even if I can’t shop there myself x
Selma, chicken one-pots are my cooler weather go-tos…many versions have shown up here and surely more to come. I hope you are well and enjoying your change of season as well.
This is definitely my kind of meal Teresa. Absolutely wonderful! Love the “Chicken Little” quote too, one of my favourite childhood books!
Yes Chicken Little can be inspiring to us all in these troubled times we live in…a little book from childhood and a nice little chicken dinner to boot! Thanks.
Oh wow, Teresa. This looks absolutely amazing and it sounds like it couldn’t be easier.
You can’t eat money and you don’t have to if you have a meal like this in front of you. It’s nearly dinner time and I’m craving this now thanks to your awesome photos. I’ll have to settle with Cambodian food though… 🙂
Have a lovely day! 🙂
Well Cambodian food sounds pretty wonderful to me as well. We have Vietnamese and Thai, but no Cambodian so I am intrigued….Thanks as always for your kind words.
Yay, Cambodian food!
It was Burmese in the end, absolutely delicious as well… 🙂
lovely…
love the recipe for optimum contentment! 😉 beautiful dish!
Thanks so much Terry and Rhonda.
Reblogged this on Foodie*ism and commented:
More Fall Food…
Muchas gracias for the reblog Foodieism.
How wonderful this dish looks and I’m sure tastes….love all the veggies in that same pot, and of course my favorite herbs
Much appreciated Loretta.
This looks so good! More so than any other veggie, I am very picky about the types of carrots I eat. I always buy them at some of the fresh, organic markets around here; although they’re ridiculously expensive at 6.99 a pound.
Yes you are so right about organic vegetables…so expensive aren’t they. I grow a few every spring but not as many as I would like to. 6.99 a lb is pretty steep. Thanks for your incite.
This looks absolutely delicious!
it’s chicken in a pot time—great minds think alike. just posted on beer-braised chicken. grateful for the seasonal shift–anticipating the autumn air
You cannot lose with a lil roast chicken, and your’s is adorable and delicious, no doubt, like everything you make. Jill
Nancy and Jill, thanks for stopping by and yes a lil roast chicken is just the best and with some veggies you have everything you need for a great simple meal. Love your version Nance.
Oh my God it makes me hungry 🙂
Oh goody Madonna, that is the idea!
Great post with gorgeous pictures!
This looks absolutely delicious! I love cooking and trying new things in the kitchen. I can’t wait to cook this, and better yet eat it!
What a great simple meal. I’m going to try it soon! Thanks!
Reblogged this on cooksontherise's Blog and commented:
I really enjoy the Fall weather and the seasonal Fall meals that comes with it. This dish is an excellent meal choice to prepare for your family, friends, significant others etc.
Thanks so much for the reblog of my post.
This looks delicious!! 🙂
This looks great! I will try it as soon as possible!
Love this Teresa! I’m wondering why my vegetables appear always so messy in my photos… I love the way you’ve presented this dish!
From start to finish, this looks divine! Yes please and thank YOU! ~ Jone’t
It sounds amazing!!! I`ll try it very soon.