If you’ve got a hungry family to feed, there’s nothing better than a whole chicken roasting in the oven with that irresistible aroma of lemon and fresh herbs driving everyone in the house crazy with anticipation…
Choosing the right chicken for this recipe is important if you want the best nutrition and taste. I chose an organic, free-range whole chicken. It really makes a big difference – it’s just so much more tender and juicy than those from the big commercial feedlots. I know not everyone can stretch their paleo budget to pay full price for a whole organic chicken, but I would suggest watching for them to go on sale. Many stores give shoppers a break on the price at least once a month. I paid $13.00 for a 4.5 lb whole organic chicken. And when you add some sweet potatoes and veggies to your shopping cart, you’ve got an amazing meal for under 20 bucks that will feed the average-sized family. For my hubby and I, we had plenty of leftovers which makes me super happy! [av_sidebar widget_area=’Lockerdome’ av_uid=’av-1y75wq’]
For this one I made an herb butter with lemon zest and garlic. I took a rare detour from the paleo rulebook and used a little Kerrygold butter (from grass-fed cows) for this recipe – but if you want to keep it 100% paleo, just use ghee instead of butter.
I also scattered onions and lemon around the chicken and even stuffed the cavity to really ramp up the flavor. Then I covered that bad boy with the herb butter and even got my brush under the skin of the breast. Baste it halfway through the cooking time if you like. Just be sure to keep an eye on the skin of the chicken while it cooks. When it reaches the golden color you want but still has some cooking time left on the clock, just tent it with foil until it’s done.
Oh, and one more thing…I highly recommend investing in a digital meat thermometer like the one I use (Amazon.com link). It’s not very expensive and it really does take the guesswork out of your cooking so you’ll always know when your bird or roast is done!
Enjoy this savory, lemony, moist and awesome paleo and gluten-free roasted chicken! It’s a simple recipe I know everyone in your family will love.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter or ghee
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 whole organic chicken (about 4 lbs.) cleaned and dried
- 2 lemons, zest both
- 1 small onion, cut into wedges
- Salt, pepper and paprika to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F
- In a bowl, mix the butter or ghee, garlic, thyme, rosemary and zest from 2 lemons. Add a little salt and pepper
- Place chicken (patted dry) inside a roasting pan
- Slice one of the lemons and place inside cavity along with the onion wedges and a few extra rosemary and thyme sprigs
- Tie legs together (optional) with water-soaked twine
- Brush chicken with the butter/ghee and seasoning mixture you prepared in the bowl. Place some under the breast skin if possible.
- Squeeze juice from the remaining lemon over the chicken, then sprinkle skin with salt, pepper and a little paprika
- Roast in 425º F oven for about 1 hour (using a meat thermometer is highly recommended – when the temperature reaches 165º F, the chicken is cooked through)
- Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving
- If skin starts to darken too much while roasting, lightly place aluminum foil over the chicken and leave in place for the remainder of the cooking time