Whole Roasted Chicken Dinner

It's starting to get chilly and I thought a whole roasted chicken in the manner of a traditional "Sunday" dinner would be just the thing.

Combined techniques from these two posts:
Dry Brine: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-zuni-cafe-roasted-chicken-at-home-34903
Veggies: https://www.thekitchn.com/viking-chicken-182165
Za'atar seasoning: https://www.thekitchn.com/inside-the-spice-cabinet-zaatar-seasoning-blend-82566

Here's what I did with notes for what to change for next time

INGREDIENTS

• Smallest whole chicken you can find (mine ended up being ~4.5 lb I think and we ate it for DAYS. Might be able to get a 2-3 pound chicken from the Indian market)
• 1-2 lb of veggies for roasting (we used brussels sprouts, potato, carrot, mushroom)
• Za'atar (want to explore other dry rubs for next time):
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried sumac
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

METHOD

1-3 days in advance:

• Combine the thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and set aside
• Measure 3/4 tsp salt per 1 lb chicken (found this was a little salty so might reduce next time) and mix with some fresh ground pepper and set aside
• Remove giblets from the chicken.
• Pat the chicken dry inside and out as much as possible with paper towels
• Loosen skin over chicken breasts by running fingers under the skin gently
• Tuck a little less than half of the za'atar mixture under the chicken breast skin
• Rub the salt all over the chicken making sure to get under the wings and drumsticks and sprinkling heavily over the thicker parts of the breasts and thighs.
• Cover chicken loosely in a clean plastic bag (like a grocery bag), tie loosely, and place in the fridge for 1-3 days, the more the better.

Day of:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees and set rack to a lower position.
• Chop veggies in big chunks. Toss with a bit of oil and very lightly salt. They will be sitting under the chicken while it bakes for ~1.5 hours so big is good and they will get flavor from the chicken juices as it cooks, so they don't need much. Place all the veggies in a shallow baking tray large enough to hold your chicken, we used our Le Creuset oval baker.
• Remove chicken from the fridge. Tilt chicken to pour out any accumulated juices and pat dry. (this might be where some of the excess salt can be wiped off also, since ours came out a little over-salted). Rub with the remaining za'atar from a few days ago. Place breast-side up on top of veggies in the roasting dish. You could top the breast with a pat or two of butter, we did not.
• Place chicken & veggies in the oven and reduce to 400 degrees. Roast for 1.5 hours. You may need less time for a much smaller bird. If you have a meat thermometer, cook until it registers 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.
• Our skin didn't get super crisp, so I might also recommend a quick broil before removing from the oven if that's what you're after.
• Remove from oven, place chicken on a cutting board and tent with foil, letting it rest for ~15 minutes. In the meantime, give the veggies a quick stir in all those good chicken drippings.
• Eat! Save leftovers and eat some more!