No so many years ago it was common for families to raise poultry and even have a dairy cow, goats, and some pigs as well as a garden for produce. It was nothing for families to raise their own food. In today’s world, it might seem intimidating to roast a whole chicken. On the contrary, it couldn’t be easier and Allyson Meyler from Reclaiming Yesterday has a simple herb roasted chicken recipe that will take you back to the savory smells of grandmother’s kitchen. A bone-in preparation brings some extra flavor to the table. Remember not to discard the bones from the bird. Use these nutrient rich bones to create a gut healing broth to sip.
Recipe Author: Allyson Meyler/Reclaiming Yesterday
US Wellness Meats Shopping List: Whole Pasture Raised Chicken, Grass-fed Butter
PHOTO CREDIT: Allyson Meyler
Ingredients:
- 4 lb whole chicken
- Butter
- Garlic Cloves
- Orange (sliced)
- Lemon (sliced)
Suggested Seasonings to Taste:
- Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Oregano
Instructions For Herb Roasted Chicken
- A couple of hours before you are planning to cook your chicken, remove it from the fridge (this ensures even cooking temperature throughout). Set your oven to 425º. Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken, but don’t you dare throw them away! Organ meats are some of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet- we’ll save that for another day though…
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and place a few pats of grass-fed butter under the skin. Season all over with a generous amount of sea salt, black pepper, and fresh or dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.) You can also place some aromatics into the cavity (garlic cloves, sliced orange/lemons, rosemary, etc.)
- Place the chicken in a roasting pan breast up at 425º for 15 minutes. Next, lower the temperature to 375º, remove the chicken and flip to breast side down.
- Depending on the size of your bird you’ll want to continue cooking for another 35 minutes to one hour. You know your chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165º. By cooking the bird breast down for the majority of the time, all the juices run south and you end up with the juiciest chicken breasts you’ve ever experienced.
Once done cooking, let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before carving so the juices have time to redistribute (this is the hardest part by far!) If everything went according to plan, you (the cook) will get the first tastes of the crispy skin. The skin of a chicken right out of the oven is one of the things that makes life worth living, trust me. It’s also (contrary to mainstream nutritional advice) meant to be eaten, along with the rest of the bird.
After you’ve removed all the meat from the chicken, save the bones- again, don’t you dare throw them out! They can be used to make a delicious broth that is one of the most cost effective, nutrient dense food sources on earth.
There you have it! You’ve just made an Easy Herb Roasted Chicken. Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back!
Visit Allyson’s blog post for the original recipe.
Recipe Author:
Allyson Meyler is the creative talent behind ReclaimingYesterday.com and the author of this delicious dish! Reclaiming Yesterday is about getting back to basics, eating and treating our health problems the way our ancestors did, and incorporating those things into the hectic and fast-paced lives we lead today. You’ll also notice Allyson is an extremely gifted photographer.
