STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE

Name: Crispy Roast Chicken with Drip-Tray Vegetables
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1-1.2 kg Whole Chicken; 1 tbsp Soya Sauce; 1 tbsp Five-Spice Powder; 1.5 tsp Salt; 5 tbsp Olive Oil; 800 g Pumpkin; 400 g Carrots; 400 g Tomatoes; 400 g White Mushrooms; 125 g Baby Spinach Leaves (125g)

Everyone loves to eat crispy roast chicken but did you know that it is really easy to roast chicken to perfection with that oh-so-crispy skin on the outside and tender juicy meat on the inside? That’s why I seldom order roast chicken when dining out, because you can easily cook it at home yourself.

This Christmas, I decided to do a Christmas edition of my signature crispy roast chicken recipe, by adding a twist of festively coloured vegetable medley to complete the look! The natural sweetness of the vegetables is a perfect complement to the savoury-ness of the chicken, while the bright colours makes this dish look so festive!

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Crispy Roast Chicken with Drip-Tray Vegetables

Crispy tender roast chicken cooked to perfection and served with a festive medley of vegetables – so delicious!

INGREDIENTS (serves 5)

Whole Chicken, Medium-size (1-1.2kg)
Soya Sauce, 1 TBsp
Five-Spice Powder 1 TBsp
Salt, 1 ½ tsp
Olive Oil, 5 TBsp
Pumpkin, 800g
Carrots, 400g
Tomatoes, 400g
White Mushrooms, 400g
Baby Spinach Leaves, 125g

HOW TO MAKE CRISPY ROAST CHICKEN WITH DRIP-TRAY VEGETABLES

PREPARATION (30 min)

Clean and wash the chicken thoroughly, removing all remnant feathers, dirt and internal organs.
Rub the chicken inside and out with 1 TBsp of soya sauce and marinate for 20 minutes.
Wash and slice the pumpkin (you can leave the skin on for presentation, just make sure you wash the skin thoroughly)
Wash and cut the tomatoes into halves.
Use a soft brush to brush clean the mushrooms.
Wash, peel and cut the carrots into large chunks.
Arrange the vegetables on a large baking tray.
In a small bowl, mix the 5 TBsp of olive oil with 1/2 tsp of salt. Then drizzle the oil mixture evenly over the tray of vegetables with a spoon or a Turkey Baster.
In another small bowl, mix the 1 TBsp of five-spice powder and 1 tsp of salt together. Then rub the powder mixture into the chicken including all the folds and the cavity of the chicken.
Fold the wings tips of the chicken backward to form a tight triangle shape.
Stand the chicken in a vertical roasting rack if you have one. Otherwise, you can also lay it flat on a horizontal metal rack.
Preheat the oven at 220°C.

Cooking (30 min)

Place the tray of vegetables on the lowest rack and the chicken roasting rack above it.
Roast the vegetables and chicken in the oven with the fan setting turned on for about 15 minutes at 220°C, then rotate the base of the chicken roaster so it browns evenly.
Roast for another 15 minutes. Check periodically on the chicken to ensure the skin does not get burnt. If the skin is already browned, you can turn the temperature down to 200°C.
Remove the chicken and the vegetables from the oven.Crispy Roast Chicken Recipe with
Sprinkle a few baby spinach leaves over the roasted vegetables to add a burst of festive colour, and drizzle the juices of the roasted chicken over the tray of vegetables for maximum flavour. Serve the rest of the baby spinach in a bowl as a side.
Remove the chicken from the vertical roaster and place it on the tray of roasted vegetables. Serve immediately while the skin is still crispy.

COOKING TIPS

One of my favourite contraptions for roasting chicken is my vertical chicken roaster. I forgot where I bought it from several years ago. It is so useful because you can make the skin of the chicken crispy all around, whereas if you just lay the chicken on the vegetables, one side is bound to get soggy because of all the chicken drippings.
You can leave the skin on the pumpkin – not only is it edible, it also gives a beautiful presentation to the dish. Some folk remedies even claim there are health benefits to consuming pumpkin skin. Buy the Australian pumpkin or Butternut Squash. They are a lot sweeter than the Malaysia ones but of course they are also pricier.
Folding the wings tips of the chicken backward to form a tight triangle shape makes it easy to lift the chicken from under the wings later on after roasting to avoid breaking the skin.
The cooking time may vary slightly depending on the size of the chicken. To check if the chicken is cooked, use a chopstick to pierce through the thickest part of the thigh. If the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked.
You can add other vegetables to the roasting platter depending what you enjoy. Some of my favourites include yellow and green zucchini (cut into lengthwise slices, and then halve), bell peppers (cut into 3 sections and remove the seeds), aurbegines and even broccoli (cut into bite sized florets). For bell peppers, make sure you choose the red and yellow ones who are a lot sweeter than the green ones. For broccoli, just be careful because the florets gets burnt easily, so add the broccoli in only during the final 15 minutes.
You can take some of the chicken drippings and sprinkle it over the roasted vegetables. It is very yummy because of all the juices of the chicken, but not as healthy because of the oil. However, if you own an oil / fat separator like mine, you can easily remove the oil from the drippings before sprinkling it over the roasted vegetables which is much healthier. An oil separator / fat separator looks like a large beaker with a long spout that allows you to pour out the soup from the spout, leaving the floating oil layer behind.
You can use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors to cut up the chicken into bite size by cutting along the joints, soft-bone and ribcage.

DIETARY MODIFICATIONS

Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
Gluten-Free: No modifications needed.
Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.

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Crispy Roast Chicken with Drip-Tray Vegetables

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: crispy roast chicken, drip-tray vegetables, roast chicken

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Servings:

Calories: 470kcal

Author: Bee Leng

Crispy tender roast chicken cooked to perfection and served with a festive medley of vegetables - so delicious!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1-1.2 kg Whole Chicken
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tbsp Five-Spice Powder
1.5 tsp Salt
5 tbsp Olive Oil
800 g Pumpkin
400 g Carrots
400 g Tomatoes
400 g White Mushrooms
125 g Baby Spinach Leaves 125g

Instructions

PREPARATION (30 min)

Clean and wash the chicken thoroughly, removing all remnant feathers, dirt and internal organs.
Rub the chicken inside and out with 1 TBsp of soya sauce and marinate for 20 minutes.
Wash and slice the pumpkin (you can leave the skin on for presentation, just make sure you wash the skin thoroughly)
Wash and cut the tomatoes into halves.
Use a soft brush to brush clean the mushrooms.
Wash, peel and cut the carrots into large chunks.
Arrange the vegetables on a large baking tray.
In a small bowl, mix the 5 TBsp of olive oil with 1/2 tsp of salt. Then drizzle the oil mixture evenly over the tray of vegetables with a spoon or a Turkey Baster.
In another small bowl, mix the 1 TBsp of five-spice powder and 1 tsp of salt together. Then rub the powder mixture into the chicken including all the folds and the cavity of the chicken.
Fold the wings tips of the chicken backward to form a tight triangle shape.
Stand the chicken in a vertical roasting rack if you have one. Otherwise, you can also lay it flat on a horizontal metal rack.
Preheat the oven at 220°C.

Cooking (30 min)

Place the tray of vegetables on the lowest rack and the chicken roasting rack above it.
Roast the vegetables and chicken in the oven with the fan setting turned on for about 15 minutes at 220°C, then rotate the base of the chicken roaster so it browns evenly.
Roast for another 15 minutes. Check periodically on the chicken to ensure the skin does not get burnt. If the skin is already browned, you can turn the temperature down to 200°C.
Remove the chicken and the vegetables from the oven.Crispy Roast Chicken Recipe with
Sprinkle a few baby spinach leaves over the roasted vegetables to add a burst of festive colour, and drizzle the juices of the roasted chicken over the tray of vegetables for maximum flavour. Serve the rest of the baby spinach in a bowl as a side.
Remove the chicken from the vertical roaster and place it on the tray of roasted vegetables. Serve immediately while the skin is still crispy.

Notes

COOKING TIPS

One of my favourite contraptions for roasting chicken is my vertical chicken roaster. I forgot where I bought it from several years ago. It is so useful because you can make the skin of the chicken crispy all around, whereas if you just lay the chicken on the vegetables, one side is bound to get soggy because of all the chicken drippings.
You can leave the skin on the pumpkin - not only is it edible, it also gives a beautiful presentation to the dish. Some folk remedies even claim there are health benefits to consuming pumpkin skin. Buy the Australian pumpkin or Butternut Squash. They are a lot sweeter than the Malaysia ones but of course they are also pricier.
Folding the wings tips of the chicken backward to form a tight triangle shape makes it easy to lift the chicken from under the wings later on after roasting to avoid breaking the skin.
The cooking time may vary slightly depending on the size of the chicken. To check if the chicken is cooked, use a chopstick to pierce through the thickest part of the thigh. If the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked.
You can add other vegetables to the roasting platter depending what you enjoy. Some of my favourites include yellow and green zucchini (cut into lengthwise slices, and then halve), bell peppers (cut into 3 sections and remove the seeds), aurbegines and even broccoli (cut into bite sized florets). For bell peppers, make sure you choose the red and yellow ones who are a lot sweeter than the green ones. For broccoli, just be careful because the florets gets burnt easily, so add the broccoli in only during the final 15 minutes.
You can take some of the chicken drippings and sprinkle it over the roasted vegetables. It is very yummy because of all the juices of the chicken, but not as healthy because of the oil. However, if you own an oil / fat separator like mine, you can easily remove the oil from the drippings before sprinkling it over the roasted vegetables which is much healthier. An oil separator / fat separator looks like a large beaker with a long spout that allows you to pour out the soup from the spout, leaving the floating oil layer behind.
You can use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors to cut up the chicken into bite size by cutting along the joints, soft-bone and ribcage.