Chris Williams loves to use berbere, a hot and complex Ethiopian spice blend, at his restaurant Lucille’s in Houston. “It’s one of my favorite tools for bringing excitement to humble ingredients,” he says. Williams employs it here to create a flavorful paste, which he rubs all over a whole chicken before roasting it over root vegetables. It’s a simple but satisfying one-pan meal that welcomes whatever seasonal veg you might have on hand.
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What you’ll need
Blender
$45 $32 At Amazon
3-Qt. Baking Dish
$17 At Amazon
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Small Skillet
$25 $23 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 Servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°. Heat 4 Tbsp. oil in a small skillet over medium. Cook garlic, stirring constantly, until softened and light brown, about 3 minutes.
Step 2
Scrape oil and garlic into a blender. Add berbere, juice of 2 lemon halves, and 2½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Purée to a loose paste.
Step 3
Place radishes, potatoes, brussels sprouts, and carrots in a 3-qt. baking dish. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and season with salt and pepper. Place chicken, breast side up, on top. Massage berbere paste all over skin, inside cavity, and between breast and skin. Stuff cavity with onion and 1 lemon half. Loosely cover baking dish with foil and roast 1 hour.
Step 4
Remove foil and continue to roast until chicken is well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a breast registers 155° (temperature will climb to 165° as chicken rests), about 30 minutes longer. Let chicken rest in baking dish at least 15 minutes before carving.
Step 5
Toss parsley with juice of remaining lemon half and a drizzle of oil in a small bowl; season with salt. Serve chicken with vegetables alongside; top with dressed parsley.
