A Little Weekend Chicken

Baby turnips are a nice little treat, something I’m fairly certain has never been said before. But it’s true– they’re a lovely spring vegetable, hearty but not starchy, sweet but not as sweet as, say, a carrot, and when roasted alongside a chicken and lots of lemon, they become extremely soft while nicely soaking up the rendered chicken fat and caramelized juices. You can, of course, make this without turnips, but then you’ll have to call the recipe something different. Potatoes, fennel or radishes would be my next choice here– and you can add handfuls of kale or spinach in place of turnip greens.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Step 2

2. Trim the tops off the turnips, leaving about 1” of stem at the top (this tastes very good when roasted). Tear the leaves into large pieces and set aside. Halve or quarter the turnips (depending on size) and set aside.

Step 3

3. Place the chicken in a large cast-iron skillet or large baking dish. Squeeze the halved lemon over the chicken (put the leftover lemon inside the cavity) and season with salt and lots of pepper on all sides (don’t forget to get in and around the wings and legs). Stuff the cavity with oregano or tarragon. If you like, tie your chicken legs together in a casual truss.

Step 4

4. Scatter turnips and remaining lemon wedges around the chicken. Drizzle the whole thing (turnips, lemon, chicken) with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Step 5

5. Place the chicken into the oven and don’t look at it for at least 35 minutes. No peeking, no touching, no basting, no turning, no fussing. After 35 minutes, you can peek—it should not be “there” yet. You can baste or rotate the pan if you like. Keep roasting for another 30–35 minutes or so– You’re looking for deeply browned chicken skin coupled with tender, golden turnips and jammy lemon slices. A good way to tell if your chicken is done is to try and wiggle the leg– it should feel loose, like you could potentially pull it out (but don’t).

Step 6

6. Once your chicken is roasted to perfection, remove it from the oven and let it hang out on your counter in the vessel it was roasted in for 5–10 minutes. Then, using a spatula or tongs, transfer the chicken to a cutting board or plate for carving, leaving the turnips and all the juices behind.

Step 7

7. Add the turnip greens and green garlic to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and give it a nice toss in the lemony chicken juices. If it’s still warm, the greens should nicely wilt down (if not, put the skillet on the stove over medium–high heat and let it warm up so the greens can wilt).

Step 8

8. Carve the chicken and serve nestled next to the turnips and their greens, spooning all the juices over everything, plus some oregano or tarragon, if you have it.

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