Description
A classic, tried-and-true recipe for the BEST Whole Roasted Chicken. Perfect for meal-prep, Sunday Supper or a weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1–2 celery stalks, cut into 2–3 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup ghee or butter, softened, divided
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- (1) 2-4lb whole roasting chicken (fresh or fully thawed and innards removed)
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion, cut into chunks
- 1/4 fresh orange, cut into small chunks
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 garlic head, cut off top
- optional: 1/2 lemon, cut into chunks
Instructions
- Prep: oven to 375 degrees F. Lay the celery on the bottom of a large dutch oven, so it creates a “roasting rack”.
- Make Garlic Butter: Place 1/4 cup of softened butter (or ghee) in a small bowl and mix it with the minced garlic. Set aside.
- Prep Chicken: Place chicken in the dutch oven on top of the celery. Pat it dry with a clean paper towel. Rub the whole chicken with the garlic butter mixture, getting in every nook and cranny, and under the skin as best you can. Now season the outside and inside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Then stuff the cavity with sweet yellow onion, orange chunks, fresh rosemary, thyme, and lemon chunks (if using). Place the head of garlic (with one end cut off) inside the dutch oven next to the chicken.
- Bake: Place the entire pot in the preheated oven on the middle rack, uncovered for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes – 1 hour and 30 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the thigh (use an instant read thermometer). While it cooks, take the remaining butter (or ghee) and melt. Use a basting brush to baste the chicken every 30 minutes with this melted butter, as well as the drippings that will gather in the bottom of the pan.
- Rest: Remove from the oven once fully cooked, baste one more time, and then let rest for 10-20 minutes (rest in the dutch oven, as juices will continue to gather that you can use to make gravy).
- Carve + Serve: Carve up the chicken and serve with your favorite side dishes!
- Optional Gravy: Reserve pan drippings and follow our tutorial on how to make chicken gravy, if desired.
Notes
- Whole Chicken: ensure the cavity is empty (remove any giblets or gravy pack, if any) and that it is fully thawed.
- Cooking Time: cooking time is approximate, so start checking the internal temp after an hour so you can see where it is at and gauge how much longer it will take to reach 165 degrees F. If after 1 hour and 15 minutes the chicken isn’t fully cooked, continue cooking for 5-10 minute increments until it is done. Remember the chicken will continue cooking (and then temp will continue to rise) while it is resting.
- Whole30/Paleo: if you are eating Whole30/Paleo then use ghee instead of butter.
- Dairy-Free: option to use olive oil to rub on the outside of the chicken and then baste with a mixture of white wine, chicken broth and a little vegan butter. Note: the chicken might not brown up as nicely with this method.
- Gravy: we also have a gluten-free gravy recipe that is Whole30/Paleo.
- Homemade Chicken Broth: Don’t forget to save the carcass so you can make homemade chicken broth the next day!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 2.1 g
- Sodium: 808.5 mg
- Fat: 17.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.5 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 58.2 mg