It’s easy to understand the appeal of preparing chicken parts and root vegetables together on one sheet pan, but without the right technique, you are apt to wind up with unevenly cooked meat and greasy, soggy vegetables.
For a pan packed with well-browned, herb-flecked chicken and vegetables that roasted at the same rate, we arranged our ingredients on a sheet pan with their cooking times in mind. After tossing the root vegetables with fresh thyme and rosemary, we arranged halved Brussels sprouts in the center of the pan and the denser items — chunky pieces of red potatoes and carrots and halved shallots — around the edges.
Likewise, to ensure that the chicken breasts stayed moist while the meatier thighs and drumsticks cooked through, we placed the breasts in the center of the pan atop the sprouts and the thighs and drumsticks around the perimeter where they would take on (and benefit from) more direct contact with the oven’s intense heat.
Brushing the parts with herb butter promised added richness and browning. Roasted together in a hot oven, the chicken parts and vegetables emerged browned and perfectly cooked in about 35 minutes. Use Brussels sprouts no bigger than golf balls, as larger ones are often tough and woody. If using kosher chicken, do not brine. If brining the chicken, do not season with salt.
ONE-PAN ROASTED CHICKEN WITH ROOT VEGETABLES
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 1 hour and 15 minutes
12 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
12 ounces red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces shallots, peeled and halved
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, thick ends halved lengthwise
6 garlic cloves, peeled
4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (2 split breasts cut in half, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs), trimmed
Nutrition information per serving: 559 calories; 217 calories from fat; 24 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 131 mg cholesterol; 499 mg sodium; 39 g carbohydrate; 9 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 47 g protein.
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