Happy Thanksgiving! Today I’m sharing a old tried and trusted recipe, using old photos that I took in 2013, for an alternative to the traditional turkey that’s served during Thanksgiving day meals.

Toss potatoes and brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt. Potatoes should also be tossed with cloves of garlic and thyme and/or rosemary. Roast for 40 minutes, uncovered, tossing veggies occasionally.

This recipe is based in large part on a roast chicken recipe that I found a while back, while looking for ways to enhance my family’s recipe, and I haven’t deviated since. After searching the Food Network, my go-to for recipe ideas, I came across Ina Garten’s, aka The Barefoot Contessa’s, lemony, garlicky “Perfect Roast Chicken“.

I generally add loads of spices and herbs to Ina’s recipe, keeping the lemon and garlic from her original recipe, and roasting the chicken on a bed of fennel, carrots and onions, just as Ina’s recipe instructs. In addition to those vegetables, I serve my roast chicken with roasted rosemary and/or thyme garlic potatoes, and brussels sprouts. Mashed potatoes would also work really well with this dish. The combo recipe follows.

The trick is to season chicken liberally . . .

{Ingredients}

1 roasting chicken
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large bunch fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 bay leaves
2 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4-6  carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
2 bulbs of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 packet Goya sazon
1 bunch scallion
garlic powder
onion powder
red pepper flakes
olive oil

{Notes}

You’ll also need a roasting pan and foil.
I like using Le Creuset for baking and roasting needs, and knives by J.A. Henckels. Visit StyleChile’s Shop to see where to buy.

{Method}

1 – Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
2 –Remove giblets. Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry.
3-Season liberally, using herbs, spices, along with onions, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, scallions and thyme. Marinate up to 24 hours before roasting. The longer the marination time, the better.
4-  Stuff chicken cavity with  bunches of thyme, both halves of lemon, and split bulb of garlic.
5-Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, sprigs of thyme, bay leaves and olive oil. Place chicken on top of vegetables. Cover with foil.
6 – Roast the chicken for approximately 20 minutes per pound. Baste chicken throughout cooking. Remove foil and roast uncovered for the last 40 minutes.  You’ll know that it’s done when the juices run clear.
7 – Remove from oven and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve the chicken on a platter with roasted vegetables.

Now I remember why I had not used these photos that are shown here–apparently, I didn’t take any after photos! But I trust that you’ll to use your imagination to picture the golden brown deliciousness that results. Enjoy!

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