Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • One (4-pound) chicken
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into small pieces and softened)
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 teaspoons sumac
  • 3 lemons (halved)
  • 3 heads garlic (halved)
  • 4 medium (11 oz) carrots (peeled and quartered)
  • 4 small (about 1 1/2 lbs) Yukon Gold potatoes (scrubbed and quartered )
  • 2 small (11 oz) yellow onions (quartered)
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for the labneh)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup labneh or full-fat Greek yogurt
  • Toasted sesame seeds (for serving)
  • Flaky sea salt (for serving)

Instruction

  • Place the chicken in a deep, large roasting pan. Using your fingers, gently tug the skin from the meat over the breasts and drumsticks. Rub the butter between the skin and the meat. Rub 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons sumac all over the chicken skin. If time permits, refrigerate the chicken, uncovered, for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°̊C).
  • Squeeze half of 1 lemon over the chicken and place it inside the cavity along with a half head of garlic. Drizzle the chicken with 2 to 4 tablespoons oil.
  • In a large bowl, combine the carrots, potatoes, onions, and the remaining lemons and garlic. Pour over 1/4 cup oil, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sumac, and season with salt and pepper. Toss until the vegetables are evenly coated and scatter them around the chicken.
  • Roast, tossing the vegetables occasionally, until the chicken and vegetables are deep golden and cooked through and the chicken registers 165°F (72°C) in the thickest part of the thigh, 60 to 75 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving.
  • Squeeze the garlic out of its papery husk and stir it into the vegetables.
  • Drizzle the labneh with oil and sprinkle it with the sesame seeds, some pepper, sumac, and flaky sea salt. Serve the labneh alongside the chicken.