The Ultimate Comfort Food: Roast Chicken

Roast chicken in the ultimate comfort food.  I tried this recipe with balsamic radicchio on a cold Friday night in the Berkshires.  The chicken turned out perfectly – quite moist and delicious.

Despite my love of roasted vegetables, I had never made or eaten roasted radicchio.  It’s naturally bitter flavor was nicely enhanced by the balsamic vinegar and rosemary.  The roasting reduces the bitterness but if you don’t like bitter you may want to pass on the radicchio.

I roasted some Brussels sprouts in a separate dish to accompany the chicken.  But next time I plan to throw some mushrooms and fingerling potatoes in the roasting pan along side the chicken and radicchio.  Lastly, I didn’t add the rosemary until the radicchio went in the pan but adding the rosemary earlier might infuse even more flavor into the chicken.

Overall our meal was delicious and the recipe served as a nice twist on roast chicken!

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Radicchio
Real Simple Magazine

• 1 3 1/2-pound chicken
• 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1 head radicchio, quartered
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Heat oven to 400° F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub the chicken, inside and out, with 2 teaspoons of the oil and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place in a roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the radicchio, vinegar, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the remaining oil. Add to the pan and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature 180° F) and the radicchio is soft and brown at the edges, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before carving. Divide the radicchio among individual plates and serve with the chicken.

Yield: Makes 4 servings