Roasting is my preferred method of cooking this time of year because it’s easy and hands-off, plus it creates the most scrumptious caramelized flavors and super tender and juicy meat. Not to mention, it will help keep your kitchen warm and cozy. 😏 This recipe for Roasted Chicken and Vegetables combines budget-friendly bone-in chicken thighs with a medley of winter vegetables and an herb-infused seasonoing for a hearty meal that will keep you full and warm on cold winter nights.
Why I Love This Dish
Roasting absolutely transforms food. It caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetables, making their flavor deep and sweet. It browns the skin on the chicken making it crispy and delicious, all while keeping the meat inside tender and juicy. Plus, all of that time in the oven allows all of the flavor of the herbs to infuse every bite. It’s ✨magical✨.
The best part, though, is that roasting is very hands-off, meaning you can go take care of other things while the food in the oven working its magic. There’s a little bit of chopping and seasoning in the beginning, but then it just goes into the oven and an hour it comes out delicious! BOOM!
Ingredients for Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Here’s what you’ll need to make this cozy winter dinner:
- Chicken Thighs: I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe because they are budget-friendly and always turn out super tender and juicy. You can also use chicken drumsticks, but I would avoid boneless or skinless cuts of chicken because they will dry out with this longer cooking time (and you won’t get that beautifully crispy skin!).
- Vegetables: I used a combination of potatoes, carrots, garlic, and onions to create a colorful, filling, and flavorful mix. The potatoes and carrots are firm enough to hold up to the long roasting time, the potatoes absorb all of that amazing flavor, and the garlic and onions get deliciously soft and caramelized in the process. I used tri-colored baby potatoes, but if those are out of budget you can use red potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Herbs and Spices: To add flavor to the chicken and vegetables I added a hefty dose of seasonings including dried basil, dried thyme, dried rosemary, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Every bite will have maximum flavor!
- Olive Oil: Oil helps the seasoning stick to the chicken and vegetables and it also helps prevent them from drying out from the heat of the oven. Instead of shriveled dry vegetables, you’ll get tender caramelized vegetables and crispy chicken skin!
What Kind of Baking Dish to Use
You’ll want to use a very large casserole dish for the roasted chicken and vegetables so the ingredients have good exposure to the hot air. Aim for a dish that is at least 9×13 inches and around 3-4 quarts in volume. Glass or ceramic work best, but if you have a metal casserole dish you may need to reduce the cooking time slightly as the dish will heat up faster. A sheet pan will allow the ingredients to be too far spread out, causing more evaporation and less of the flavorful juices that soak into the potatoes.
How to Store Leftovers
This cozy meal makes a great meal prep, if you are feeding just yourself or have a household of two. Simply divide the chicken and vegetables into single-serving containers after cooking, then refrigerate. The chicken and vegetables will stay good for about four days in the refrigerator and can be reheated quickly in the microwave.
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Servings 4Ingredients
- 24 oz. baby potatoes* ($2.99)
- 2 large carrots ($0.31)
- 1 red onion ($0.80)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.48)
- 2 tsp dried basil ($0.20)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp paprika ($0.02)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lbs.) ($5.49)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Wash and cut the baby potatoes in half (or, if using larger potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces). Wash and slice the carrots into 1-inch pieces. Peel and cut the red onion into wedges. Peel the garlic cloves and leave them whole.
- Add the olive oil, basil, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl and stir until well combined.
- Place the prepared vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle half of the seasoning over top. Toss the vegetables until they are fully coated in oil and herbs, then transfer them to a 9×13-inch or larger casserole dish.
- Place the chicken thighs into the same bowl and pour the remaining oil and herbs over top. Toss until the chicken is fully coated, then nestle the chicken down into the vegetables in the casserole dish, making sure the chicken is not covered with vegetables.
- Roast the chicken and vegetables in the preheated 425ºF oven for 40 minutes, then remove the casserole dish and carefully stir the vegetables. Spoon some of the liquid from the bottom of the dish over the chicken, then return the dish to the oven and roast for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken skin is golden brown and crispy and the vegetables are browned and caramelized. Serve hot.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
How to Make Roasted Chicken and Vegetables – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Begin by preparing the vegetables. Wash and slice 24 oz. potatoes in half (or into 1-inch pieces if using larger red potatoes). Wash and slice two large carrots into 1-inch pieces. Peel and slice one red onion into wedges. Peel four cloves of garlic and leave them whole.
Prepare the seasoning mix for the chicken and vegetables. In a bowl combine ¼ cup olive oil with 2 teaspoons dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
Place the prepared vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle half of the seasoning mix over top. Toss the vegetables until they are fully coated in the oil and herbs. Transfer the seasoned vegetables to a very large casserole dish.
Place four bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lbs.) into the same bowl and pour the remaining seasoning over the top. Toss the chicken thighs until they are fully coated.
Nestle the chicken thighs down into the vegetables in the casserole dish. Make sure the vegetables are not covering the chicken. Transfer the casserole dish to the preheated 425ºF oven.
Roast the chicken and vegetables in the oven for about 40 minutes, then remove the dish and carefully stir the vegetables in the casserole dish and spoon some of the liquid from the bottom of the dish over the chicken. Return the chicken and vegetables to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden and caramelized and the chicken skin is golden and crispy.
(Garnished with parsley for color, not needed for flavor.)
Excellent and easy dish. The only thing I would do different next time is give the veggies a 15 minute cook before adding the chicken. We like our potatoes a little softer and so I had to cook them a little longer.
Really good, easy to make and delicious result, this is classic Budget Bytes to me–good tasting healthy food that doesn’t break the bank. I made it to recipe with one exception: I generally double the seasonings and salt of most online recipes and did so here, as life has dulled my sense of taste a bit over the years, but I don’t hold that against recipes. The chicken skin turned out nicely crisp and the veggies were perfectly cooked to my taste. Also really easy to increase the quantity of this for meal prep purposes. This will be a staple in our house going forward.
Made the dish exactly as directed. The flavors here are outstanding. One of the best recipes I’ve found on this site (and there are many).
My husband and I loved this recipe, so simple yet flavorful. I added a little more of the seasoning to the chicken and was 10/10. I love budget bytes recipes for convenience, affordability and still being nutritious! My dietitian recommended Budget Bytes and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Absolutely delicious. I was accidentally given boneless thighs instead of bone-in, but thanks to another comment I threw them on top/nestled them in a little after 35 minutes, then roasted for 25 more minutes. After I tossed the veggies in the herb mix and put them in the pan, I put the thighs in the bowl and put the herb bix on them, then refrigerated until it was time to throw them in. The thighs were super juicy and flavor packed and so was everything else. I think a little squeeze of lemon or something acidic on this would be a nice touch, too.
Delicious, well seasoned, easy and nutritious meal! I actually don’t have a 9×13 dish, so I tried a sheet pan, and it worked fine with about 15 mins less cooking time. *This was after adding a couple bags of brussels sprouts, so the pan was definitely full!* If I do it again with the sprouts, I’ll add them for the second half of the bake, since they got super soft. I also broiled for the last 5 mins because the chicken was at temp, but the skin was not really crisped yet. Thanks for another awesome one, Beth!
I used boneless skinless thighs but did not put them in until I had about 25 minutes to go. Worked out perfectly.
Easy and delicious! I will add more carrots in next time.
Fantastic recipe! Best chicken and veg I’ve ever made and soo easy, can’t wait to share it with friends.
Delicious and so easy to make! Thank you for an excellent recipe once again!
I found the answer to my question about using bone-in chicken breasts. Thank you! :-)
Hello there. Just a question before trying this savory looking meal. I understand why boneless skinless breasts wouldn’t do very well in this recipe. I have 3 bone-in chicken breasts in the fridge. Can they be used without adjusting the recipe very much? Thanks for all the great recipes. ❤🫒🍅🥦🥕🍄
I used boneless skinless breasts and it was amazing!
This sounds scrumptious! Definitely on my wish list.