Breaking news!
Whole chicken trumps wimpy boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Who really cooks a whole chicken anymore? Most mamas I know toss a frozen box-o-nuggets in the oven and call it dinner. Okay, I totally did that before autism and gluten entered my vocabulary.
Impress your dinner guests, wow your husband, and all the while it looks like you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen all day. When it fact, you were scouring pinterest for 2 hours while your husband had the kids at the park.
So the secret’s out. Easiest. Dinner. Ever
Whole Chicken-4-5lbs
2 Tbs of ghee or coconut oil {post coming soon on how to make ghee as well}
Herbs de Provence or herb blend from your cabinet* {doesn’t have to be anything fancy}
sea salt
pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 lemons
{you can use some combo of oregano, parsley, and garlic powder. that’s good as well.}
1.) Start with a whole chicken. Pastured if you can find it. Organic and free range if you can’t. Even at $12 for a 5lb…we are talking cheap here…
1.5) Preheat your oven to 350.
2.) Unwrap said chicken in your sink. Wash. Remove giblet packet. Save your chicken’s liver for fancy pate. Put in freezer until you save a pound of it.
Yes, we will be making fancy liver pate soon here at momnivore’s dilemma. I’ve never eaten liver, but I need to start.
3.) Plop said chicken onto fancy roasting pan. Spread skin with melted ghee {don’t use butter as it will burn} and sprinkle on spices. Insert garlic and squeezed lemons into the cavity of the bird as a “stuffing”.
4.) Bake at 350 for roughly 1.5-2 hours or until the meatiest part of bird is at 170. Now go on pinterest and burn some time while enjoying the waft of delicious from your oven.
5.) When the timer goes off, pull chicken out and let rest for ten minutes or so. Mock husband as he eats all the chicken skin. Make husband carve the chicken because you worked so damn hard roasting a whole chicken.
Less than a year ago, I would have gagged at the thought of eating chicken on the bone.
Or even touching a raw whole chicken.
This really falls under the category “never say never”.
Why roast a whole chicken? It’s a 3 for 1 deal. Dinner. Leftovers for lunch. And bones for the best stock EVER.
Stay tuned for my best chicken salad recipe and homemade stock for dummies.
Whatever you do…don’t toss that carcass. If you don’t want it, give it to me then!
It’s the start of liquid gold. Put it in the freezer until we are ready for homemade stock day.
Get out of the drive-thru and back in the kitchen!
Much love,
Nicolette
Much love,
Nicolette
Love it! Thanks a bunch for sharing this recipe, I’ve always wanted to make a whore chicken! Will try this next week for sure!
Just became a recent follower! I love roasting chickens! Just a few minutes prep and then the rest the oven does for you! I did step by step pictures here: http://www.toddlindsey.com/2011/12/easy-roast-chicken.html
Love your blog!
I’ll be waiting for homemade stock day
I love how one roasted chicken can become several meals. And with all the specialty food prices that we pay for our kids, it’s nice to have a (couple of) meals that are a real bang for your buck. Thanks for sharing.
Throw some carrots and cut up potatoes into the bottom of the pan and your whole meal is finished! Can’t wait to see how you make your stock. Do you use vinegar?
So often I have read what you say about food and cooking and have wished I knew more about HOW to cook “real” food! So excited for this new series of yours! Thanks Nicolette- you are amazing
@ Ketih-
Yup. I use a splash of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar to draw out all of the mineral goodness from the bones…