herb-roasted chicken + vegetables

I made this a couple of weeks ago and boy was it good! I can't wait to make it again when I have a bit more time on my hands. The recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. It calls for the use of a 3 1/2 to 4 pound broiler chicken, but I used about 1 to 1.5 pound bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts since there are only two of us (and we both only eat white meat). If it looks a bit herby in the picture, it is. I decided against altering the amounts of the herb-rub because I originally planned on making more chicken. Regardless, it tasted wonderful in our opinions. I opted for the roasted vegetable portion of the recipe, but you can leave them out and just roast the chicken if you'd like.

I will provide you with the original recipe(s) below and you can alter it however you prefer!

Herb-Roasted Chicken + Vegetables
Serves four

Ingredients
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound whole broiler chicken (or bone-in/skin-on breasts)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning or ground black pepper

Vegetable Ingredients
1 pound red potatoes (I used new potatoes), quartered (or halved if small)
3 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Directions
Rinse the chicken body cavity; pat dry with paper towels. Skewer neck skin of chicken to back; tie legs to tail. Twist wing tips under back (or skip all of this if just using chicken breasts). Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush chicken with melted butter and rub with minced garlic.

In a small bowl stir together basil, sage, thyme, salt, and lemon pepper seasoning; rub onto chicken. If desired, insert a meat thermometer into the center of an inside thigh muscle.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan bring lightly salted water to boiling. Add potatoes, carrots, and turnip. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes; drain. Add drained vegetables and onion to the bottom of the roasting pan around chicken. Drizzle vegetables with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remember to stir vegetables once or twice during roasting.

Roast, uncovered, in a 375°F oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until drumsticks move easily in their sockets and chicken is no longer pink (180°F). Remove chicken from oven. Cover; let stand for 10 minutes before carving.