Sometimes the simplest recipes can be the best. A roasted chicken on a bed of vegetables is a miraculous thing. It’s a common French country dish and yields a moist and tender crispy chicken. 

And as an added benefit you can use the chicken carcass to make a superior stock when you’ve finished.

Preparation:

I use a cast iron Dutch oven and cut up, celery, carrots, onions, garlic and baby potatoes and put them in the bottom of the pan. 

Brush the chicken with olive oil and then season generously with salt and black pepper. Stuff with a quartered lemon, fresh rosemary or tarragon and whole garlic cloves. 

Place the chicken on top the the vegetables and pour about 1 cup of chicken stock or wine in the bottom of the pan. 

Into a preheated 425F oven uncovered for approximately 1.5 hours. Optionally, you can cover for the first 30-45 minutes and then remove the cover to brown. 

Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest under foil for 10 minutes. Serve with vegetables.