A One-Pot Roast Chicken-and-Lentil Dinner for the Ages
We feel like this one-pot roast chicken recipe is one that is just made to be memorized and passed down and made on the regular in many homes. At least, we think it’s good enough to deserve that honor! It’s a one-pot meal, which makes it easy—easy clean up, easy on the brain, easy easy easy. It’s a complete meal that is gluten-free, low-carb and healthy—check, check check. It’s not boring—did we mention the chicken is spiced with paprika, cinnamon and cumin?—but it’s not spicy or especially challenging. In other words, it’s interesting enough for adults, but many kids will love it, too! Last but not least, this roast chicken recipe just unusual enough, just elegant enough that you could even serve it to company and feel like you’re giving people a new (or at least refreshing) gustatory experience, without breaking a sweat (or doing a zillion dishes).
Everything You’ll Need To Make This Paprika-Cinnamon Yogurt Chicken Recipe
To add extra moisture and a super luscious flavor, slather the whole chicken in a warmly spiced, lemon-tinged yogurt sauce before roasting. It’s a riff on, well, a lot of dishes, really! You’ll see chicken marinated in yogurt in the cuisines of Greece, Morocco, India, and beyond. If you use it as a true marinade, lactic acid in yogurt tenderizes the chicken slowly—much more slowly than a harsher acid, like lemon or vinegar. But, for this roast chicken recipe, we just coat the whole chicken with yogurt sauce right before roasting, and it still brings a lovely, extra flavor and acts as an added moisture-lock. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this delicious chicken and lentil recipe:
- Brown lentils
- A whole chicken
- Chicken stock
- Carrots
- Greek yogurt
- Lemon
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Cinnamon
How to Make One-Pot Roast Chicken and Lentils
We’ve taught you how to make a classic, whole roast chicken.. We’ve spiced one up with Thai chiles and red curry. We’ve spatchcocked a whole chicken and thrown it on the grill for a perfect char. And while we adore all of these whole chicken recipes, none of them make for a whole meal. All that effort, and you’ve still got to come up with sides. Today though, we’re all about this whole roast chicken recipe that doubles as a one-pot meal! It’s not just about efficiency—though it is wonderfully efficient. Roasting the whole chicken—generously spiced with paprika, cinnamon and cumin—over a bed of lentils means that the lentils become infused with the super-flavorful chicken drippings that are drawn out during cooking, resulting in a deliciously hearty, cohesive chicken and lentil dinner. Here’s how to make this delicious roast chicken and lentil recipe:
- Mix the lentils and stock together and bring them to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with a towel, and salt it.
- Whisk together the yogurt sauce, and use about 1/4 cup of it to coat the chicken. Save the rest for later.
- Carefully lay the whole chicken on the lentils. Add the carrots, too.
- Into the oven! Plan on about 15 minutes per pound of chicken, so for a 3.5 lb bird, your cook time will be roughly an hour. But always use a thermometer to check for doneness. For a whole roast chicken, you’re looking for an internal temp of 165° F.
- Serve with the rest of the yogurt sauce!
Tools You’ll Need:
- Braiser or oven proof skillet
- Pastry brush is helpful for spreading the yogurt sauce
- Instant-read thermometer
More Whole Roast Chicken Recipes to Try
Another Winner of a Chicken Dinner!
Or, we hope that’s how you feel when you make this yummy chicken and lentil recipe! If you make it, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
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