Lemon Herb Whole Roasted Chicken with Carrots & Quinoa
September 7, 2026 | Serves 6 | Prep 25 min | Total 1 hr 55 min
This Lemon Herb Whole Roasted Chicken with Carrots & Quinoa is a simple, nourishing dinner made with garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme. Carrots, chickpeas and shallots roast alongside the chicken, while lemony quinoa rounds out the meal with plenty of protein and fiber.
Isn't it brave of me to post a roasted chicken recipe as one of my first few recipes when there are already about a million of them out there? Well, yes, maybe. But there's a good reason for it.
I wanted a whole roasted chicken on My Midlife Table because, for me, this isn't just one recipe. It's the start of several meals.
We have the roasted chicken for dinner, usually with plenty left over for lunches or another meal (we're a family of three). Then, once we've picked most of the meat from the bones, I save the carcass and turn it into homemade chicken bone broth. One chicken, a few different meals, and very little waste. That's how I like to cook. I'm definitely guilty of it, but I hate finding food in the back of my fridge that I bought with good intentions and never used.
With that said, this recipe still needs to earn its place here as a meal all on its own.
A whole roasted chicken takes care of the protein, but I wanted the rest of the plate to bring something to the table nutritionally, too. So this one roasts with lots of carrots, chickpeas and shallots (my husband loves roasted shallots), then gets served over lemony quinoa. Together, they add fiber, whole-food carbohydrates and even a little more protein to the meal.
The carrots, chickpeas and shallots roast right alongside the chicken, soaking up some of the lemony, garlicky pan juices and the flavor of fresh rosemary and thyme. The quinoa cooks separately and gets finished with lemon zest and juice to tie everything together.
And while it takes about 25 minutes to get everything prepped and into the oven, most of the cooking time is hands-off. Once the chicken is roasting, it mostly does its own thing, which makes this much easier to pull off when there's homework to help with, lunches to pack, or just a million other things happening around the house.
This isn't necessarily the dinner I'm going to crave twice a week (that would be pizza). But it's something different: a nourishing staple. It's a meal that feeds us well tonight, gives me leftover chicken for another meal, and, once we've eaten the meat, leaves me with exactly what I need to get a pot of homemade chicken bone broth going.
And that's why this particular whole roasted chicken gets a spot at My Midlife Table.
Why It's on My Midlife Table
This meal checks so many of the boxes I'm looking for: plenty of protein from the chicken, fiber from the carrots, chickpeas and quinoa, healthy fats from the olive oil, and satisfying whole-food carbohydrates.
But I also love what happens after dinner. Leftover chicken makes the next meal easier, and the carcass becomes my homemade chicken bone broth. I might make this chicken on a Saturday, for example, then let the bone broth sit and do its thing on the stove all day Sunday.
Nourishment Snapshot
Here's what this recipe brings to the table.
- Protein: ~40 g
- Fiber: ~11 g
- Total Sugar: ~9 g
- Added Sugar: 0 g
A Few Things You'll Need
- 4 to 4½ lb whole chicken
- Carrots
- Chickpeas
- Shallots
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Quinoa
Once everything is prepped, the rest comes together pretty quickly. Rub the lemon mixture over the chicken, tuck the garlic, rosemary, thyme and half the lemon into the cavity, then arrange it over a few carrots and shallots to lift it slightly and expose more of the skin to the heat. While the chicken roasts, there’s plenty of time to prepare the lemon quinoa.
Cook's Notes & Substitutions
- Dry the chicken really well. Pat the chicken thoroughly dry before seasoning, especially around the legs, thighs and sides. Less surface moisture helps the skin brown and crisp. If you have time, you can also salt the chicken the night before and refrigerate it uncovered overnight. This optional dry-brining step helps season the meat and dry the skin even more.
- Give the chicken a little lift. Arrange some of the carrots and shallots underneath the chicken to raise it slightly off the bottom of the baking dish. Keep the remaining vegetables from piling too high against the sides so more of the skin is exposed to the oven heat.
- Use a deep baking dish. A deep 9×13-inch baking dish works well for containing the vegetables and pan juices. A roasting pan or large Dutch oven can also work, although a Dutch oven may result in softer chicken skin.
- Let temperature, not time, tell you when it’s done. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken and your oven. Check the thickest part of both the breast and thigh with an instant-read thermometer, avoiding the bone. Both should reach at least 165°F.
- Use broth if you have it. I use water to cook the quinoa if I don’t have broth on hand, but when I do, I use homemade chicken broth or bone broth instead for extra flavor.
- Save the carcass! Once you’ve removed the meat, refrigerate or freeze the chicken carcass and bones to make my homemade chicken bone broth.
Lemon Herb Whole Roasted Chicken with Carrots & Quinoa
Ingredients
Chicken & Vegetables
- 1 (4 to 4½-pound) whole chicken
- 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, about ½ to ¾ inch thick
- 4 large shallots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 medium lemon, zested and halved, divided
- 1 small head garlic, top trimmed to expose the cloves
- 4 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, reserving 1 teaspoon finely chopped
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, reserving 1 teaspoon finely chopped
Lemon Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water or chicken broth
- Reserved lemon zest and lemon half, from above
- Fine sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels, including around the legs, thighs and sides.
- Add the carrots, shallots and chickpeas to a deep 9×13-inch baking dish. Toss with 1½ tablespoons olive oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and the reserved chopped rosemary and thyme.
- Reserve about ½ teaspoon of the lemon zest for the quinoa. In a small bowl, combine the remaining lemon zest with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1¼ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chicken and, if easily accessible, underneath the skin over the breasts.
- Place one lemon half, the garlic head, and the remaining rosemary and thyme sprigs inside the chicken cavity. Reserve the other lemon half for the quinoa.
- Arrange some of the carrots and shallots underneath the center of the chicken to raise it slightly off the bottom of the dish. Place the chicken breast-side up, with the remaining vegetables arranged around it without piling them too high against the sides.
- Roast uncovered for 60 to 75 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of both the breast and thigh, without touching bone, registers at least 165°F.
- While the chicken roasts, combine the quinoa and water or chicken broth in a medium saucepan and cook according to package directions. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Stir in the reserved lemon zest and squeeze in juice from the reserved lemon half to taste. Season with salt to taste.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Stir the carrots, chickpeas and shallots through the pan juices. If the carrots need a little more time, return the baking dish to the oven while the chicken rests for additional tenderness and light browning.
- Spoon about ½ cup cooked lemon quinoa onto each plate and top with the roasted vegetables and any pan juices. Serve the carved chicken alongside or over the top.
If this recipe makes its way to your table, I'd love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram so I can see your version.
As always, nutrition information is provided as an estimate and can vary depending on the ingredients and brands you use.
