Herb‑Lemon Roast Chicken with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots (Christmas Dinner)

Ingredients

Whole Chicken (≈ 1.5–2 kg)

• 1 whole chicken, giblets removed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon (halved, juice & zest)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 2 tsp dried)
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Roasted Potatoes & Carrots

• 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
• 3 carrots, peeled & cut into sticks
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried rosemary (or fresh)
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Steamed Green Beans & Garlic Butter

• 200 g fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Arugula + Parmesan Salad

• 3 cups arugula leaves, washed & dried
• ¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)
• 2 Tbsp extra‑virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice)

Optional Chocolate Mousse Dessert

• 100 g dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
• 2 eggs, separated
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F
2. Prepare the chicken: Pat dry, rub with olive oil, salt & pepper.
3. Mix lemon zest, juice, garlic, rosemary & thyme; stuff half the mixture plus a lemon wedge into the cavity. Rub the other half onto the outside of the chicken.
4. Roast chicken in roasting pan, 25 min per 1 lb of chicken
5. Rest the chicken for 10 min, tented loosely with foil. While resting, make a quick pan sauce: add ½ cup stock or wine to the pan, scrape browned bits, reduce by half, whisk in 1 Tbsp cold butter, season.
6. Roast potatoes & carrots: Toss with olive oil, rosemary, paprika, salt & pepper; spread on a baking sheet. Roast 35–40 min, turning halfway, until golden and tender.
7. Steam green beans: Steam 4–5 min until bright green. In a pan, melt butter, add garlic until fragrant (≈30 s), toss beans in, season with salt & pepper.
8. Make salad: Combine arugula, Parmesan & pine nuts in a bowl. Whisk olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper; drizzle over salad just before serving.
9. Carve the rested chicken, arrange on a platter with roasted potatoes, carrots & green beans. Drizzle pan sauce over the chicken and serve alongside the salad.
10. Dessert (optional): Melt chocolate over a double boiler, let cool slightly. Whisk egg yolks with sugar (if using), fold into chocolate. Fold in beaten egg whites, then whisked cream. Divide into two glasses and chill 30–60 min before serving.

Notes

Christmas dinner! Created by BrakeChat, gpt-oss-20b (4-bit quant, MLX weights)

I found this video helpful to learn how to carve the chicken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owUitkVtubk&t=145s