Perfectly warm and cozy, you can fill your home with the best sweet and savory apple roasted chicken flavors!
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A deep breath…and the coziest weekend
Whew! We made it through fall sports. Almost. With regionals this weekend and literally nothing on our schedules this past weekend, we took the opportunity to slow down as much as we could to race to the finish line later this week. All 3 teens still wanted to get pumpkins for Halloween, too, which was so fun! And we made the coziest fall dinner to nourish our bodies before the week started.
Apples? In the chicken?!
Oh my friends…if you have never had this combo before, please don’t knock it till you try it! The apples roast in the pan right along with the chicken and become like the best sautéed applesauce side for your chicken dinner. They also perfume the chicken with sweetness, and your house is going to smell incredible!
How to make a fast roasted chicken
I’m all about slow roasting and laid-back weekends. But sometimes, there are other things on the schedule, or other recipes I need to knock out in the oven to meal prep for the coming week. This means making a faster chicken dinner, and spatchcocking (or butterflying) your chicken is the way to go! Simply use kitchen shears to cut the backbone out of the chicken, and lay the bird out flat to cook in less time at a higher temp.
The Method :: Salt brining your chicken
This is where the flavor is built, and the tenderizing happens! Once your chicken is butterflied, salt the outside and inside of the chicken and let it sit on a wire rack on a sheet pan for at least one hour. If you can do this in the morning to let it brine all day, it will get the most flavor. You could even set this up 24 hours in advance.
The Aromatics!
When you are ready to roast your chicken, cut up some onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. This will all go in the bottom of your pan for the chicken to sit on top of.
Now for the apples!
I use at least 2 medium sized apples. The girls will fight over the cooked apples if there isn’t enough, so sometimes I make more! Use whatever flavor apples you like best. The apples can mix right in with the veggies in the pan.
The liquid base in the pan
I like to use a dry white wine, such as Chardonnay, if I have some around. If not, broth or even water works fine. You’ll want to use a good cup of liquid so that there is enough left in the pan drippings to make gravy if you plan to make that! Pour the wine, broth, or water right into the pan with the veggies.
The Method :: Prepare the chicken for roasting
Before roasting the chicken, brush it with a mixture of olive oil and Italian seasoning. Make sure to get the underside/inside of the chicken too! The chicken can be placed in the spatchcock position right on top of the veggies and apples.
The Method :: Roasting the chicken
Depending on the size of your chicken, you can roast it at 450 degrees for about 1 hour. If your chicken is closer to 6 pounds, it probably needs another good 20 minutes. I like to use this meat thermometer that tells me right on my phone when to take it out to rest! If you do not have a digital thermometer, just watch the temperature, and take it out when it is 155 degrees. Let the chicken rest, and the temperature will rise another 10 degrees to hit 165 degrees when it is fully cooked. If you take the chicken out right at 165, it could get tough and dry since it will rise in temperature more as it rests and be overcooked.
How to serve your apple roasted chicken
You could absolutely add quartered yellow potatoes to this pan (with a little more liquid for cooking), and most of your sides will be done all together! My girls are suckers for mashed potatoes, so that is typically what we have. And don’t forget those delicious soft apples in the pan! The best bite is chicken and apple together!
What kind of pan is that?
I use my braiser multiple times per week. It is probably my most used pan in the kitchen, and such a great investment! I have a Le Creuset braiser, but there are lots of different brands at different price points. You can also use a Dutch oven. This kind of dinner used to allow enough leftovers for the next day, which are so incredibly delicious! One bird feeds my family of 5 (with 3 teens!) these days, sadly! If you would like to have leftovers in that situation, use a large roasting pan and make up 2 birds. It is so worth it!
Fast & Cozy Apple Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 4-6 pound whole chicken
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 medium onion halved and sliced into strips
- 2 medium carrots peeled, and cut on the bias
- 2 stalks of celery cut on the bias
- 5 cloves of garlic smashed
- 2 medium apples cored and sliced
- 1/2-1 cup dry white wine such as chardonnay, or broth or water
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2-3 tsp Italian Seasoning
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- You'll want to spatchcock/butterfly, and dry brine your chicken in salt for at least one hour before cooking, or up to 24 hours. I like to get my chicken salted when I get up in the morning so it is ready to go at dinner time. To butterfly the chicken, remove the backbone using kitchen shears. Next, salt both the inside and outside of the chicken. Then, place the chicken breast side up, spread out in a butterfly onto a sheet pan with a rack so that the skin can dry out.
- When you are ready to roast the chicken, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Put the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, apples, and wine into the bottom of a large braiser, roasting pan, or dutch oven.
- Mix the olive oil and Italian seasoning, then brush the seasoned oil all over the chicken, including the inside and skin.
- Place the chicken breast-side up and butterflied on top of the veggies and apples in the braising pan. Roast until the breast registers 155-157 degrees. (I like to use this thermometer that tells me right on my phone when to take it out!) Take the chicken out of the oven and let the thermometer continue to rise until the chicken breast registers 165 degrees, when it is fully cooked (rest time should be about 15 minutes).
- Serve your apple roasted chicken with sides of mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, or other veggie sides of choice. The roasted carrots and apples in the braising pan are delicious to eat too!
