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Why a whole chicken?

I know what you’re thinking- a whole chicken sounds SO intimidating! Especially as a busy mama...don’t we have better things to do with our time? Stick with me! It was so intimidating for me too, until the past couple of years I just decided to get used to it. It’s not nearly as complicated as it seems and gets us a lot of food in one effort. My goal is always to provide you with ideas to get nutritious food ready simply! So I hope this recipe provides you with a new way of doing just that. 

I started to cook whole chickens, and wanted to share this with you, because you can get more bang for your buck! They cost less, so it's easier to afford quality protein (in this case, pasture-raised and organic). Additionally, they provide a lot of food for the week ahead. I typically shred the meat which can then be used for many different simple dinner recipes throughout the week such as buffalo chicken sweet potatoes, tacos, soup, chicken salad, and so much more. I also love having the shredded meat on hand to put on salads for lunches throughout the week. 

After I make the chicken, I use the bones and carcass to make my homemade broth. You can then use it to make an incredibly nutrient dense soup for the family, or just drink it straight! Make sure to read my post about all the benefits of bone broth and see the recipe here. This just goes to show how cost-effective cooking a whole chicken can be!

You’ll see below, the recipe calls for specific herbs and vegetables, but I want you to know that this recipe is extremely flexible. For the dried herbs, you can use whatever herbs you have on hand even if they are different from what I use. You can also stuff the bird with a variety of things- anything to give it flavor, more garlic, more veggies, herbs, citrus, a few slices of butter, different spices, different fresh herbs, celery leaves, apples, etc. Use what you have! Lastly, any vegetables you cook around the chicken will cook in its juices, so again, creativity is welcomed here! Carrots, potatoes, onions and root veggies work best because they cook for the same length of time (and if you have none of these things, don't sweat it, you can still cook the chicken.) 

Directions

For this recipe, you will need one whole chicken (~5 lbs), 3 Tbsp ghee or olive oil, 2 Tbsp of dried herbs, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 white onion, a few sticks of celery, a few carrots, potato, fresh herbs, garlic cloves and a cast iron pan or glass baking dish.

First, place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450. Rinse the chicken and ensure the giblets are not inside. Place the chicken in a cast iron pan or glass baking dish and pat dry.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil or melted ghee with the 2 Tbsp of dried herbs, garlic powder, and salt. I absolutely love using ghee for the flavor, but olive oil works exceptionally well also. For the herbs, I typically use rosemary, thyme, parsley and oregano but you can really use any dried herbs that you have! Once mixed, spread the oil mixture over both sides of the chicken and rub it in. Next, stuff the inside of the chicken with 2-3 smashed cloves of garlic, a handful of fresh herbs (I like parsley), a few stalks of celery, and about half of the onion. After the bird is stuffed, arrange any other vegetables around the outsides of the chicken in the pan. I like to do potato cubes, carrots, and the remaining white onion.

Place the dish in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes.

Once the timer goes off, turn the oven down to 350 F and bake for 70 minutes or until done. It is done with the juices run clear and the internal temperature is over 165 degrees F. The skin should be golden and slightly crispy!

Allow the chicken to sit for 10-20 minutes, and then take it out of the pan and separate meat from the bones. Set aside the bones if you’d like to make your own bone broth, or discard.

Serve the chicken or shred and save for meals throughout the week!

I love using shredded chicken and putting it on top of greens with a homemade balsamic/oil dressing and whatever other veggies or toppings we have. It’s the easiest healthy lunch!

I am excited for you to feel like you're basically Betty Crocker, make your home smell amazing, and get multiple nourishing meals on your table in a breeze all while sticking to the budget. Let me know how it goes in the comments or tag me in all your chicken pics on instagram! Don’t forget to sign up for my email list at the bottom of this page to always be kept up to date when a new blog post goes live and even more exclusive content!