Roast Chicken with Balsamic Peaches, Leeks & Thyme
Our next door neighbors have a small farm where they raise beef, chicken, pigs and goats. We pretty much get most of our protein and dairy from 100 yards away! We are very lucky to live next to these amazing farmers and feel pretty darn great about the meat/veggie trade that we have going on this season. Over the weekend they processed a batch of chickens and I was very fortunate to get a fresh chicken that hand’t yet even made it to the freezer. I knew I needed to honor this precious piece of meat so I wanted to make something a little extra special than just a regular old roasted chicken. We’d just picked up a flat of peaches and I thought they would make a lovely addition to this simple roast chicken dish. Turns out, adding peaches made the chicken extra moist and the touch of sweetness was a lovely combination with the meat, leeks, balsamic and herbs. I hope you all enjoy this simple, seasonal recipe as much as we do! Cheers to the summer bounty.
Roast Chicken with Balsamic Peaches, Leeks & Thyme
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Serves: 6
- one 3 1/2- 4 pound chicken
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 clove of garlic, unpeeled
- 4 large peaches, quartered
- 3 large leeks, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat it dry. Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and generously season it with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with 4 sprigs of thyme and the 2 garlic cloves. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl toss the chopped peaches with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, leeks, balsamic vinegar and thyme. Remove the chicken from the oven and scatter the peaches around the chicken. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165F. About 1 hour. Toss the peaches in the pan juices about halfway through cooking.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and scatter with the minced parsley. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
This recipe is lightly adapted from Real Simple Magazine. Cooking times will very from kitchen to kitchen
Hi when do I exactly add the peaches to the chicken ? When it’s halfway cook?
Just ready the instructions. A little confuse when to add the sautéed peaches to the roast chicken.. ?
Hi there,
See instruction 3 in the recipe as that explains when to add the peaches. And to clarify, you’re not sautéing the peaches. You’re tossing them with the oil and leeks before adding them to the pan with the chicken. I hope that’s helpful. Enjoy the recipe!!