I'm somewhat addicted to Whole Foods pasture raised chicken, raised locally here in Seattle.
I realize that I been "Duked" my whole life with chicken, in that I never knew what chicken is supposed to taste like until I bit into one of these "bad boys"
Here is a recipe to make that naturally flavorful Pasture Raised Chicken even more flavorful….Zesty Roast Chicken.
Zesty Roast Chicken
• 1 large Pasture Raised Whole Chicken (I AVOID CONVENTIONAL CHICKEN)
• sprigs of fresh organic herbs (origanum, thyme, parsley, sage, or your fav's)
• 150ml grass fed butter, softened, plus extra for the gravy (I AVOID COMMERCIAL BUTTER!!!)
• 2 organic limes or 1 organic lemon
• 2 organic onions, quartered
• 2 organic carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 sticks organic celery, roughly chopped
• a few organic bay leaves
• 160ml chicken stock
• 1 or 2 (or more) bulbs of garlic
• 6 organic potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (AVOID CANOLA OIL UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!!!)
• 25ml organic flour (omit for grain free, gluten free, or paleo)
• 30ml grass fed cream, optional
• 3 extra organic limes, cut into wedges
Directions
1. Chop some of the sprigs of herbs and add about 15ml to the butter. Grate the zest from the limes or lemon and stir into the butter. Season with Pink Himalayan Salt (although I find with pasture raised chickens you don't have to overload the seasonings).
2. Gently lift the skin of the chicken and ease your hands underneath it to loosen it from the flesh. Spread half of the butter under the skin. Put the chicken in the roasting tin with the breast side up. Spread some of the remaining butter over the chicken’s skin.
3. Cut one of the limes or the lemon into wedges and warm in the oven for a minute. Put the hot lime wedges into the chicken’s cavity, along with a few sprigs of herbs. Tie the legs closed with some string.
4. Put the onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves into the tin. Pour in 125ml chicken stock. Put the roasting tin into the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 160°C and roast for 1 to 11/2 hours. Baste the chicken every 20 minutes by spooning the pan juices over the chicken. (you can also experiment with cutting slashes in the chicken for seasoning to sink in)
5. Cut the top off the garlic bulb and put it into a separate roasting pan. Add the potato slices and a few sprigs of herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and toss, then dot with the remaining citrus butter. Put it into the oven 30 minutes after the chicken started roasting. Toss once or twice during cooking.
6. The chicken is done when you test it by sticking a skewer into the thigh and the juice that runs out is clear. Let the chicken stand for 15 minutes before carving.
7. Optional Gravy – Pour the juice out of the roasting tray and into a pan. Allow the fat to settle on the surface then spoon as much of it off as possible and discard. Heat the pan on the stove with a little extra butter and stir in the flour. Add the extra stock. Stir the gravy until thickened slightly. Season to taste and sieve if necessary. Add cream if you prefer.
8. Serve the chicken with the potatoes and gravy and squeeze the limes over the meal just before eating.
recipe and chicken photo courtesy of the DailyFix website
~stay healthy~
click here or the photo below to see all my articles in "The Healthy Chef's Cookbook"
9 Responses
This chicken looks FANTASTIC! So glad to know about your blog since I recently started my fitness journey. This recipe is right for me, lol.
You can definitely get fit and healthy and eat real food. It’s all about real ingredients. Glad you enjoy the blog, those compliments are my payment, in that I don’t do this for money. And thanks for the “shout out” with my “Love Jones” article. The best romance movie of all times 🙂
I am going through some health issues that drove home the realization that although I look young and fit (at least others claim I do), I am neither! So at almost 47 years 'young' I've decided to embark on a life changing journey to true fitness and health. I am so glad I found your site! I am loving the articles, insight and advice! I can't wait to try out some of these recipes too. Over the past year I've become a Whole Foods junkie and this roasted chicken with fresh organic herbs and veggies is top on my list. My mouth is already watering from the picture! Thank you for caring enough to share so much of you, your time and effort making this information available to folks like me. You make a difference!
Wow Tonya 🙂 thanks for the warm comments. I don’t do this for money (note the lack of advertisements), and thus these comments are what keep me going, sorting through a gazillion photos to get the right shot. I noticed you “liked” my Facebook page, and just for the record I said “she’s cute” (said professionally) just saying that to say you look great, and there is no time like the present to start your personal “revolution”. I try to offer as much as I learned on the site, and for whatever reason, I have so many female readers and try to write as much as I can for them. Also it is obvious I try to connect with as many African American as I can, which I admit is somewhat of a struggle. So enjoy the site there is plenty to offer, feel free to ask questions (I don’t know everything, not a licensened nutritionist or anything, but I’m the worlds best researcher I think), and I’m learning stuff from other readers. I’m an egghead by nature, but try to bring together a web experience that is visually appealing and entertaining for the three minutes someone stops here. If you haven’t run across it, for some extra motivation, here is and article I wrote in my “Girl Talk” section on Carla Kemp, 50 years old, AMAZING!!! https://www.gaiahealthblog.com/2013/05/23/fifty-fit-and-fabulous-carla-kemp/
hope to connect soon, take care sista!!!
Doug, thank YOU for the compliment and for the link! It was one of the first articles I read on your blog and is certainly inspirational. If I can be even half as fit as the beautiful Ms. Kemp by the time I'm 50, I'll be more than happy! I must say three minutes was definitely not enough for me as far as your blog site goes, I hung around reading articles and making ooh ahh sounds over the pictures for over an hour (during my lunch break no less!). I've saved your blog on my favorites list and to my ipad so I'll definitely be back 😉 — you do a marvelous job with this site so I am all to delighted to 'pay' you in well-deserved compliments and will shout your site out to all my friends and fam. Your blog demonstrates that when one does something he or she so obviously enjoys and does it so well, it seems almost effortless (I know it is really a LOT of work). At any rate, you are truly blessed and I thank you for being a blessing to others!
Peace and Love,
Tonya
Thanks again 🙂 It is really fun putting together this site. I was surprised from your first message when you said “sharing so much of you”, because that’s what the website is though I though no one knew that. My “Wanderlust Food Diaries” and “Dinner and a Movie” section are where I get to sneak in how I see the world to some healthy eating as a backdrop. This is a great email, because it is the first blatant affirmation of how I want the work to be viewed. I really enjoy it, on Saturdays I can’t even get up and take a shower because I’m trying to craft something just right. You mentioned the Ipad, and my objective was to create a place where you could learn something about bettering your health, but women can check out some women’s fashion, or men can check out some sports on the Ipad, and just have a fun we experience, and have wellness fused seamlessly into the modern social media mentality. I know a lot of younger women tell me they are motivated to lose weight and eat right, and I know younger people don’t read much, they want bold vibrant pictures. As you may have noticed in the “dreadlocks” article, I try to make it a little “sexy” but tasteful (more women wrote me about the article than men). I got a lot more fun ideas, like really getting into HGTV style outdoor kitchen experiences in my “Tapas Time” and “Dressed to Grill” articles. My blog is for all races, sexes, and ages, but obviously I’m working hard to get more “brothas and sistas” into wellness, but I can’t get over the hump, still trying to figure out the formula.
…I guess it’s no need to shoot you any more articles if you are checking out everything, but this correspondence was very important to me, I never get to hear how my audience sees this stuff. Enjoy that chicken!!!! 🙂
let me shut up know, the reason I started blogging is because it was an outlet for me to stop running my mouth 🙂
Doug Wallace
You are most welcome Doug! I'm happy to inform you that all the dedication, hard work, effort, joy and love that you pour into your blog is certainly recognized AND appreciated. As far as getting over the hump of figuring out how to get more brothas and sistas into wellness I'd say you're doing one heck of a job. Certainly got me! You know more than you think you do 😉 … Just be sure to share that formula with me LOL..especially since that is a dream of mine too. I currently 'flirt' in the wellness arena but have ambitions of diving 'all in'…as soon as I get my own self in order lol. I believe in being a living example. Anyway, When I enjoy a topic or find a like soul I tend to get pretty effusive so let me just shut MY mouth because I could truly just sit here and write for days! I am having way too much fun with this so I am going.
P.S. I will definitely enjoy that chicken recipe this weekend!
Like most progressive black people, I try not to “divvie” up my though process by skin color, but now way a brotha or sista wom’t have a special place for connecting with other African Americans on health. Especially when you see how we are being destroyed by our health habits in the USA and much of it is preventable. IF you notice, my “Girl Talk” section is open to guest writers, so maybe I can get you to write somethign down the road about yoru wellness journey, struggles, triumphs and all that, just keep it in mind, even if its a year from now, I’ll remember. So far as me, I jsut wanna share teh blessing of good health, the man upstairs seemed to say “I’m gonna bless you with perfect health, go and spread the word how ever you want…..”
P.S. make sure you grab that Pink Himalayan Salt at Whole Foods, it is ‘da Bomb!!!
Doug W
I love writing so Doug I will definitely take you up on that guest writer offer as soon as I have some achievements under my belt ;-). I used to get my specialty salts for my spa from Saltworks.com. I have never tried the specialty cooking salts but I have been curious. I will definitely try the Himalayan salt from WholeFoods the next time I'm in there and thanks for the tip my friend!