Chicken

Whole Roasted Balsamic Chicken with Fennel and Brussels Sprouts

November 30, 2011
3
1 Ratings
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

This dish is inspired by Giada DeLaurentiis' Roasted Balsamic Chicken recipe but I modified the recipe to accommodate a whole chicken. I also show how you can roast a whole chicken in 45 minutes versus the normal 1 1/2 hours by removing the backbone and thigh bones. I roasted the chicken along with my favorite veggies and they paired beautifully with the chicken and sauce. —Oh Sweet Escape

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Ingredients
  • 1 4-lb chicken (giblets and neck bone removed), washed and scrubbed
  • coarse kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 fennel bulbs, outer layers removed and chopped (keep the core in tact so the fennel chunks stay together)
  • 2 cups Brussels sprouts, outer layers removed and cut horizontally in half
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot
  • 1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Directions
  1. Place the clean whole chicken in a large bowl or baking pan. With sharp kitchen sheers, remove the backbone and thigh bones.
  2. For the marinade, mix together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the marinade all over the chicken and let the chicken rest for at least 1 hour. With a spoon, scoop the marinade over the chicken from time to time. In the meantime, put the fennel and Brussels sprouts in a big bowl. Lightly season them with salt and pepper and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
  3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  4. On the bottom layer of the roasting pan, evenly distribute the fennel and Brussels sprouts. Place the chicken on top of veggies and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Reserve the leftover marinade.
  5. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes. Take off the foil and roast for another 20 minutes or so. If you see the chicken browning too fast, place the foil back over the chicken. The internal temperature of the chicken thighs should reach 165 degrees F. When you take the chicken out of the oven, cover it in foil and let the chicken rest for 20 minutes before serving to let the juices redistribute throughout the chicken and finish cooking. Sprinkle the roasted chicken and veggies with parsley.
  6. In a small saucepan, add the reserved marinade and water. Whisk in arrowroot and simmer the mixture for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Serve with chicken.

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1 Review

NXL March 6, 2020
The flavors were good, and the vegetables were nice and tender with just the right amount of char, however the chicken skin didn't crisp up.