My motivation for posting these recipes is to teach how easy it is to cook delicious meals that are also nutritious. Before I changed my eating habits three years ago, I NEVER would have dreamed of cooking an entire chicken. Instead, I would go to the grocery store and select the cheapest, boneless and skinless chicken breasts I could find.
So what changed?
I tend to err on the side of being environmentally conscious along with caring for the animal that is providing me nourishment. That cheap chicken you buy at the grocery store is probably raised inside a warehouse with almost no room to move around. The chickens are so stressed that we have to trim their beaks – otherwise the poor chickens would peck each other to death!
Chickens are meant to forage for insects and worms. Chickens that are fed a “vegetarian” diet are NOT eating what they are supposed to eat. You betcha this changes the nutrient profile of the chicken you are eating.
On top of that, I’m an absolute advocate of consuming the WHOLE animal. Consuming the white meat along with the skin is not only good for you, but it’s absolutely scrumptious!
And then – if you buy only chicken breast, what happens to the rest of the animal – the bones, the neck, the feet? All of these components can be used to make bone broth (but only if you’re buying organic, free-range chickens!). If you don’t cook the whole chicken then it’s very likely these items are trashed during processing.
Now all of that said to say – I don’t always cook an entire chicken! I do usually cook an entire chicken about once a week. I’ll trim all of the cooked meat off and reserve the bones for my weekly bone broth. But what about if I want to make chicken tenders? Meatballs? Or just chicken thighs? I find a good source! I make sure I know where my meat is coming from and what is happening to the other parts of the chicken that I didn’t purchase. Or alternatively, I’ll cut up the chicken before cooking it. You’ll get two chicken breasts, two thighs, etc.
You can simply Google something like “local, organic free-range chicken” and see what comes up. In my case, I’ve stumbled upon several quality meat sources at my local farmer’s market.
I know this is a lot. Many people can’t afford to buy the highest quality chicken and even then, who has the time to make their own bone broth? I say don’t worry about perfection. If this week all you can afford is conventional chicken, then accept that and move on. But if you have a couple extra bucks and the well-being of the animal and good quality meat is important to you, then yes – go for it!
Over the next couple of weeks I plan on posting my quick and easy method for making bone broth in the Instant Pot, so stay tuned for that.
In the meantime, start salivating for this super crispy and juicy chicken! As I said earlier, this is the way I always cook it. I can’t bare the thought of eating soggy skin, so it absolutely has to be crispy!
Sometimes this chicken is the main course, and other times I’ll prep this chicken on the weekend for easy weeknight meals (like casseroles and one pot meals).
Okay, let’s get to it!
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- 3-4 lb whole chicken
- 5 tbsp butter or ghee, softened
- 1 lemon
- 1 rosemary sprig, leaves removed and chopped
- 2 rosemary sprigs left intact
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Rinse the inside and outside of the chicken with cold water and pat dry.
- Using your hands and a butter knife, loosen the skin so it is separated from the chicken breast. Lift up the skin and using your hands, stuff in half the butter/ghee, half the garlic and half of the rosemary inside.
- Squeeze lemon juice on top of the chicken, then rub in the rest of the butter with a generous sprinkling of both salt and pepper.
- Put the juiced lemon inside the chicken cavity, along with the rest of the garlic and the remaining two rosemary sprigs.
- Roast in the 400 degree oven for one hour to one hour and 15 minutes. Take the chicken out of the oven and place aluminum foil over the top (like a tent) for an additional ten minutes.