Roasted Root Veggies

Honey Roasted Chicken & Root Veggies

My friend, Matron of Husbandry over at Throwback at Trapper Creek, posted her recipe for this easy and convenient meal.  She originally credits Joel Salatin and now I have my version of it.  Our diets are limited due to Honey’s migraines so I eliminated a few of the original ingredients.  If my version is any indication of what Joel’s original recipe is like…oh my it’s delicious!  It makes for a great Autumn and Winter meal filling the house with the aroma of sweet root veggies.  You can switch out the veggies according to what’s in season.   Matron grows just about everything her family eats.  I aspire to that goal, but haven’t reached it yet.

I grew up eating root veggies, Honey did not.  I threw in Carrots, Parsnips, Turnips, Onion, Sweet Potato, Red Pepper (ok, it’s not a root veggie) and topped it with a pastured chicken.   Of course Honey picked through and pulled out the carrots and sweet potato but I threw it all on my plate.  I did have a few problems though.  Matron only cooked hers for 1.5 hrs and I cooked mine all afternoon and my veggies still weren’t cooked.  I threw the veggies in a pot with the chicken stock and water and cooked until done.  My veggies were possibly not sliced thin enough.

Here is the recipe I used:

1 Pastured Chicken cut into parts (save the back and neck for stock)

4 Carrots, peeled and chopped

2 Turnips

1 Parsnip

1 Sweet Potato

1 Onion chopped

1/2 Red Pepper chopped

1/3 C melted butter

1/2 C honey

Wash and chop all veggies.  Place chicken on top of veggies and salt and cayenne pepper liberally.  Cook at 350* for 2 hrs.   If like me and your veggies aren’t done, transfer them to a pot and add stock and water enough to bring to a boil and cook until tender.  Reserve chicken.  You can add the chicken to the pot to warm the chicken up if it’s gotten cold.

Throwback and Joel use prepared mustard and curry powder, but I left them out.   I’ll be sure to grow parsnips and turnips next year.  They are so sweet and delicious especially cooked this way.  Thanks Matron of Husbandry!