Ghee Roasted Chicken Recipe

If your favorite part of oven-roasted chicken is the crisp, golden-brown skin, this recipe is for you! The secret: rich and savory ghee, which lends depth of flavor to the skin and hearty root vegetables beneath. We recommend bone-in chicken breasts, because they retain their moisture better than the boneless version. But, like all proteins, they can still dry out pretty quickly if left in the oven too long. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature as it cooks. That way you won’t overdo it, and you’ll get perfectly juicy chicken every time.

Ghee Roasted Chicken Recipe

Yield: 2 servings
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

3 carrots
2 beets
1 sweet potato
1 rutabaga
1 bunch radishes, stems removed
4 tablespoons ghee, divided in half
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided in half
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided in half
5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Wash and dry all root vegetables. Chop into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces. Alternately, you can use a melon baller to scoop out balls from beets, sweet potato, and rutabaga; and chop carrots and radishes.

On a large baking sheet, toss all vegetables with 2 tablespoons ghee, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread in an even layer.

Rub chicken breasts with remaining ghee, including under the skin. Season with remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic powder.

Nestle chicken on top of vegetables, in the middle of the sheet tray. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through. Using a meat thermometer, check that the chicken has reached 165 degrees. Once it has, remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe credit: Angela Gaines
Photo credit: Paul Delmont