cooking whole chicken

[brent83]

Can anyone provide a nice recipe for cooking a whole baby chicken that is whole30 approved? Just some generic spices I would need and how to prep and cook it. I know there are a ton of recipes and just looking for a good go to one (I don't like hot spice fyi).

Thanks!

[Johnny M]

You might get a bunch of responses but I've been roasting chicken for years and this is a no nonsense perfect method i use EVERY time i make a chicken now. It's from Thomas Keller, head chef at French Laundry...one of the most famous world renown restaurants in Napa. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Simple-Roast-Chicken-231348

[Ashley]

My personal favorite way and most delicious is to use a crock pot. I cut up one white onion (cut horizontally so that your onions are in ring form) and throw these in the bottom raw. I then take 2 garlic cloves and mince them up and toss those in with the onion. Then remove the chicken from its packaging and remove the giblets, etc. Wash and pat dry. I found this good "rotisserie" chicken spice at my local grocer. It's delicious but not spicy. If you can't find something like that, just mix up garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, basil, rosemary in a bowl and rub this generously on all sides of your chicken. You can also cut up a lemon and squeeze the juice on top and put the remains in the inside of your chicken. Cook on low for 6-7 hours and BAM - delicious, flavorful chicken with only 5 minutes prep time!

[juju]

http://thedomesticman.com/2012/08/28/mimis-sticky-chicken/

[idauria]

I roasted a chicken yesterday. I rubbed the chicken all over and inside the cavity with a blend of olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and and Italian herb blend. I roasted it at 425 for about 90 minutes. My chicken was 6 pounds so a smaller one will cook in less time. Oh and about halfway through cooking time I added some brussels sprouts to the pan. They were so good!

[jsunnen]

I butterfly mine and cook it in a hot oven seasoned with lemon and fresh thyme salt and pepper

[Derval]

After reading the Thomas keller recipe here that the one I use too, the thyme really lifts it, and love the salty crispy skin.

[homerfrizzell]

brent83,

If I'm roasting a chicken, I like to roast the rest of the meal at the same time: I preheat the oven to 450F, chop up a bunch of vegetables - the chicken will sit on these while it cooks: carrots, onions, beets, sometimes I'll use greens - they don't get too crispy if they are under the chicken, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, just about anything you like. Those go into your roasting pan. For the chicken: sometimes I'll slather it with olive oil, sometimes not (skin's a bit crispier if you do), apply salt and pepper. The chicken goes breast side up on the vegetables. (I sprinkle olive oil onto any vegetables that are not protected by the chicken) Sometimes I'll add some sprigs of rosemary about it to give it that classic roast chicken smell. Then it's into the oven for a half hour, then flip (this is a challenge but it will give you skin that's golden on both sides) and cook for another half hour. (I usually use a 3-5 lb chicken, adjust time if more/less). This recipe is based on Marion Cunningham's Roast Chicken with Vegetables from Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham, Random House, 1999).

Enjoy!

[brent83]

thanks for the suggestions guys! Some good ones here. Will have to try a few!

[Carolina Blue]

These all sounded so good that I've decided to make roast chicken & veg for dinner Yum!

[brent83]

Thanks guys. Some good ideas here. I might try Johnny M's recipe first and see how I like it.

[Janine Costanzo]

I currently have a whole chicken in the slow cooker. I've never made it before, but I'm trying this recipe: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/4807547385/slow-cooker-roast-chicken-and-gravy (it's actually a slightly different recipe because I'm using the one in the Nom Nom Paleo iPad app, which is a little different, but it's almost the same thing).

I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

[Susan W]

I currently have a whole chicken in the slow cooker. I've never made it before, but I'm trying this recipe: http://nomnompaleo.c...icken-and-gravy (it's actually a slightly different recipe because I'm using the one in the Nom Nom Paleo iPad app, which is a little different, but it's almost the same thing).

I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

That looks really good. I don't usually use a slow cooker because I love crispy roasted skin so much, but this looks great...and that gravy. YUM!! I even have some homemade chicken stock waiting in the freezer for this. I see that Sunny Paris seasoning a lot in recipes, so I think I'll drive over to Penzeys and get some.

[Janine Costanzo]

The slow cooker chicken turned out delicious! I just used a regular poultry seasoning blend from the grocery store and it worked fine. I also squeezed half of a lemon over the chicken before cooking it as well. The chicken fell off the bone, and the gravy was super delicious! And we each had a baked sweet potato with ghee and cinnamon as the side, which worked quite well. We have leftovers for dinner later this week.

Picture!

[Heidiwag]

Johnny, do you use kosher or sea salt? Also, do you use clarified butter, ghee, or just omit it altogether? I have ghee but not clarified butter. I'm still kinda new to the whole ghee thing. .

Looks delicious!

Thanks!!!

[Susan W]

Heidiwag, you can use ghee or clarified butter...think of ghee as very special clarified butter. It's usually organic and from pastured cows and has more of a toasted/browned butter taste. It's fabulous. Sometimes I roast chicken with ghee and sometimes I leave it naked except for the spices. Depends on what I feel like doing. Hopefully Johnny will chime in before you are ready to throw the chicken in the oven.

[Heidiwag]

Thanks SLW600! Glad to know that ghee would be a decent substitute!

[Susan W]

Oh, Ghee is better flavored than clarified butter (at least I think so), but some like to make clarified butter themselves for the cost savings. I do want to try it one of these days. It just looks like the yield is so small when I look at directions, so I don't really see how there could be cost savings with as much as organic butter from pastured cows costs.

[Snappy Shark]

Hey! I used the Julia Child recipe on nomnompaleo, and it came out GREAT! Here's the link: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/26079656034/julia-childs-classic-roast-chicken

[Susan W]

Hey! I used the Julia Child recipe on nomnompaleo, and it came out GREAT! Here's the link: http://nomnompaleo.c...c-roast-chicken

I like that recipe. My Greek Grandmother (Yia Yia) used to say "always roast 2 chickens at a time so they keep each other company". The only change I make to that recipe is I do start the birds breast down. I think it was a Cook's Magazine article (for turkey, I think) that made that change. It really does keep the breast moist.

[Ktaylor3]

After I roast the chicken can I use the bones for a bone broth?

[SpinSpin]

Yep! You sure can!

[Susan W]

Definitely. I do it all the time. In fact, my new thing is that I take carrots celery and onion and toss it in the crockpot. Then I place the chicken on top and cook on low for 4-5 hours. I take all the meat off the chicken and put all the bones back in. There will be lots of juices in the cooker already from the chicken. Then water to cover, peppercorns, bay leaf and cook on low all night. Makes a great bone broth and you can use the meat for soups, chicken salad or whatever.

Roasting it gives you that wonderful flavor and crispy skin so I like that method too.

[MrsStick]

I usually will do the Scarbrough Fair chicken if I venture into the realm of whole birds (long story...I hate cooking with chicken due to a rather *ahem* traumatic experience having to kill and clean one for eating and getting fire ant-bitten in the process many times) - parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme. I've since branched out into sometimes adding in savory or marjoram into that mixture too.

That's also a good general recipe for making chicken soup too!

[TracyP]

Soooo... For me roast chicken is a weekly exercise. The simpler the better I say. Take out all the gizzards etc. rinse and dry the bird. Tuck the wing tips under the back, tie the legs together and then generously salt and pepper the bird. Let is sit out for 20 minutes before you put it in the oven. Put it in a roasting pan and slide into a 475 oven for 30 minutes and then turn down the oven to 350 for 45 minutes. Don't open the oven until you are done. This is for a 5-6 lb chicken. Soooo yummy with perfect crispy skin. Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes before carving. i usually remove the chicken from the roasting pan and then deglaze it with chicken broth add thin sliced onions and tomato paste to make a rich tomato gravy for later in the week on zoodles or whe ever else strikes my fancy.