Shelly's Recipe

BAKED CHICKEN WITH AUTUMN VEGETABLES

Category: Chicken

2 large red onions
1 1/2 lb turnips
1 lb pkg fresh peeled baby carrots
1 lb small new potatoes
1 (5-6 lb) whole chicken
3 cloves garlic
1 large yellow onion, quartered
3/4 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup canned chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (or broth, if preferred)
Cornstarch and cold water to thicken sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste

To prepare vegetables: Remove peel from onions and cut each into 8 wedges. Peel turnips and cut into 1 1/2 -inch cubes. Rinse carrots and pat dry with paper towels. Scrub new potatoes with a vegetable brush under running water (do not peel) and remove excess moisture with paper towels. Place all vegetables in a large mixing bowl; set aside.

To bake chicken and vegetables: Preheat oven to 425. Remove giblets from chicken. Rinse the chicken inside and out; remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place (breast down) on a rack in a large roasting pan. Place garlic cloves and quartered yellow onion in cavity of chicken.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together mustard, oil and rosemary until smooth and well blended. Brush chicken with half of the mustard mixture.

Pour remaining mixture over vegetables in mixing bowl; toss vegetables gently to coat. Arrange vegetables around chicken in bottom of roasting pan and bake at 425, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Add broth and cover roasting pan; reduce heat to 375.

Continue to cook until chicken tests done, about 90 minutes. Remove roasting pan from oven. Transfer chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with foil; allow chicken to inchrest inch while preparing sauce (approximately 20 minutes).

To prepare sauce: Spoon off fat from juices in pan. Place pan atop 2 burners. Over medium-high heat, deglaze pan with wine (or broth) to loosen browned food particles. Once the particles have been loosened and dissolved, carefully strain hot pan juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Mix equal parts of cornstarch and cold water into solution (see Note below). Gradually drizzle into sauce, stirring constantly, until sauce reaches desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chicken and vegetables with sauce and mashed potatoes. Serves 6.

Note: The amount of thickening solution needed depends on the amount of pan juices. 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp cold water will thicken 1 cup of liquid.