One of the easiest ways to save money on protein is to buy whole animals, and chickens are no exception. Several people can eat a whole chicken for dinner, and the carcass can be used to make bone broth.
PREP TIME
10 minutes
COOKING TIME
60-120 minutes
YIELD
4-6 servings depending
on portion sizes
1/4 cup (960 ml) melted butter, coconut oil, bacon grease, or duck fat
1 whole chicken
1 onion, cut into large chunks
4-6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 orange or lemon, cut into 6 pieces
2-4 large carrots, cut into large chunks
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Herb Salt Blend (recipe here)
Black pepper to taste
CHANGE IT UP
Use any of the spice blends on pages 232-233 to make a totally new kind of bird.
FODMAP FREE?
Leave out the garlic and onion.
NUTS
EGGS
NIGHTSHADES
FODMAPS
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Brush the bottom of a large roasting pan with some of the melted butter.
Remove any gizzards or organs (sometimes in a paper or plastic wrapping) from the inside of the chicken. Stuff the chicken with the onions, garlic, and some of the citrus. Place the carrots around the chicken in the roasting pan. Brush the chicken with melted butter, and sprinkle it with the Herb Salt Blend and black pepper.
Roast until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) when a thermometer is placed between the leg and breast.
Cooking time depends on the size of the bird but is approximately 20 minutes per pound.
More Recipes You'll Love
Citrus and herb whole roasted chicken is the cheapest, smartest way to feed a table and the one dinner that never gets old. The bird stuffs with onion, garlic, and orange or lemon chunks, roasts over carrots, and comes out golden and juicy every time. Save the carcass for bone broth and nothing goes to waste.
Pro Tips
- Melted butter, coconut oil, bacon grease, or duck fat all work for brushing — the fat is what browns the skin to a deep, lacquered gold.
- Stuff the cavity with the onion, garlic, and citrus. As they roast they steam the bird from the inside and perfume every bite.
- Roast to 165°F measured between the leg and the breast, not by the clock. Around twenty minutes per pound is the guide, but the thermometer is the truth.
- Rest the bird ten minutes before carving. Cutting too soon sends all the juices onto the board instead of into the meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get crispy skin on roast chicken?
Pat the bird completely dry before brushing with fat, and finish the roast in the last few minutes with the heat nudged up. Dry skin is the secret — wet skin steams pale.
Is this recipe FODMAP-friendly?
Leave out the garlic and onion as the recipe notes, and the citrus and herb butter still gives the chicken plenty of flavor.
What do I do with the leftovers?
Shred the leftover meat for salads and soups, then simmer the carcass with water and vegetables for bone broth. This chicken is really two or three meals in one.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- COOKING TIME
- 60-120 minutes YIELD
- 4-6 servings depending on portion sizes
- 1/4 cup melted butter, coconut oil, bacon grease, or duck fat
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 onion, cut into large chunks
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 orange or lemon, cut into 6 pieces
- 2-4 large carrots, cut into large chunks
- 1 tablespoon Herb Salt Blend (recipe here) Black pepper to taste CHANGE IT UP Use any of the spice blends on pages 232-233 to make a totally new kind of bird. FODMAP FREE? Leave out the garlic and onion. NUTS EGGS NIGHTSHADES FODMAPS Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Brush the bottom of a large roasting pan with some of the melted butter.
- Remove any gizzards or organs (sometimes in a paper or plastic wrapping) from the inside of the chicken.
- Stuff the chicken with the onions, garlic, and some of the citrus.
- Place the carrots around the chicken in the roasting pan.
- Brush the chicken with melted butter, and sprinkle it with the Herb Salt Blend and black pepper.
- Roast until the chicken reaches 165°F when a thermometer is placed between the leg and breast.
- Cooking time depends on the size of the bird but is approximately 20 minutes per pound.
