Honey-Roasted Chicken with Garlic, Lavender, and Roasted Vegetables

Author Notes: This butterflied chicken is great for all days, nights, and seasons, but is particularly great for celebrations—be prepared for the scent of its cooking to ma (…more) —Caroline Choe

Serves 4-6

4pounds roasting chicken, spatchcocked
10whole garlic cloves, crushed
1/3cup runny honey, or any good-quality honey
1 1/2tablespoons lavender honey (if you have)
1teaspoon dried thyme, or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1small onion, chopped
1lemon, juiced
3tablespoons olive oil
2bay leaves
1/4teaspoon smoked paprika
1teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2teaspoon ground black pepper
3medium potatoes, rinsed & skin-on, quartered (1 red, 1 yukon gold, 1 purple, if possible)
1broccoli crown, florets cut small
1cauliflower head, florets cut small (purple or yellow if available, for color)
1large carrot, peeled & sliced
1 1/2tablespoons dried culinary lavender

If you’re unsure of how to best spatchcock / butterfly your chicken, feel free to follow along with this Food52 tutorial: https://food52.com/blog/10971-how-to-spatchcock-a-chicken-step-by-step
In a bowl, make your marinade. First, crush your dried lavender to release their oils. You can do as I do: Crush and roll the dried lavender back and forth in your hands, or you can use a mortar and pestle for this. (A wooden spoon, bottom of a cup, etc., also work fine.)
Once the lavender is crushed in your bowl, add in the honey (both regular and lavender, if you have it), olive oil, lemon juice, smoked paprika, thyme, crushed garlic cloves, chopped onion, Kosher salt and black pepper. Give it a good stir until all are combined, and add then add in the bay leaves.
TIME TO MARINATE: In a large Ziploc refrigerator storage bag or plastic tupperware, place in the spatchcocked chicken and pour in the marinade. Make sure the pieces are completely coated. (I like to best do this by sealing the Ziploc bag, and massaging the chicken with the marinade. Less mess!) The chicken will be best marinated overnight, or for at least 5 hours.
When the chicken is done marinating, remove the bay leaves and discard. Remove the chicken and set aside; reserve the marinade. Preheat your oven to 425° F.
In a roasting pan, place in your chopped and colorful vegetable medley (potatoes, carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower). Douse them with a bit of olive oil and the reserved chicken marinade (garlic, onions, and all), a dash of both salt and pepper, and toss until all are coated. Spread out on the bottom of the pan.
Lay the chicken flat, skin-side down (not up), on top of the vegetables. Season the chicken with a bit of Kosher salt & pepper, and put the entire roasting pan into the oven to cook for about 30-minutes.
After the 30 minutes are done, take the roasting pan out of the oven and carefully flip the chicken over with tongs, so it is now skin-side up. Season the surface of the chicken skin with salt and pepper, and put the roasting pan back into the oven to cook for another 25-30 minutes, or until the meat on the chicken thigh reads 165° on a meat thermometer (150° F on the breast meat). Or, if you don’t have a meat thermometer, pierce the thickest part of the meat with a fork and see if the juices run clear (and not bloody).
Once the chicken is done, take the roasting pan out of the oven and carefully remove the chicken to rest on a plate for about 10-15 minutes. Take this time to stir around the pan-dripped roasted vegetables and season them to your liking. Remove from the roasting pan, and to a serving plate.
Once the chicken is rested, carve up to your liking (half, quarter, however you want). Serve atop the roasted vegetables.