Whole Roast Chicken w/ Herb Butter and Carrot-Rutabaga Mash
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Chicken w/ Herb Butter
5-6 lb. Whole Chicken
2 oz. Butter
3 tbsp Fresh Chopped Herbs of your choosing (I used green onion, parsley and dill)
1 tbsp Garlic Oil
Salt & Pepper
Carrot-Rutabaga Mash
1 Rutabaga (medium) ~ 1 lb.
2-3 Carrots
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Butter
Salt
Cook with me!
Instructions:
Preheat Oven to 425*
Make Herb Butter. Soften your butter in the microwave for 15-30 seconds. Mince whatever fresh herbs you’re using and add them to the butter along with a tablespoon of garlic oil, a small amount of salt (since our butter is salted) and a generous amount of pepper. Combine with a fork, and set aside for a few minutes to let the flavors come together.
Prep Chicken. Start by emptying the cavity of your chicken. You can totally use these (giblets/gizzards/neckbones) in your bone broth to add extra nutrients! It's a great way to get some organ meats in your diet without having to actually eat them. Lol Just store them in the freezer along with your chicken carcasses.
Pat your chicken dry and set it bottom-side up on a non-porous cutting board (not-wood). Generously salt the underside, about a teaspoon. Flip chicken over and set it inside a large, well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt inside the cavity.
Next, use a sharp paring knife to slice the membrane between the body and the thigh, allowing the leg to lay flat. At this point, you can also clean up the cavity and trim off any excess fat or skin that’s flopping around.
Loosen the membrane between the skin and the breasts with your hands. Generously spread herb butter underneath the skin. Use the rest of your herb butter to spread along the skin. Finish with one last sprinkling of salt and pepper.
(I’ve made this recipe so many different ways over the recent months! Sometimes, I only use salt and pepper and oil, other times I'll throw in some lemon and fresh herbs. Even potatoes or other veg, if i’m going for an easy one pot meal. This recipe is super forgiving - feel free to make it your own!)
Bake on the middle rack of your oven at 425 degrees for 1 hour. Check the deepest part of the breast and remove from the oven when it reaches 158-160 degrees. In my oven, this takes 1 hour and 10 minutes. Set aside and let rest for 5 minutes before carving.
While our chicken is in the oven, let's whip up a side! I choose to try out a low-fodmap recipe submitted by one of you guys!
Carrot-Rutabaga Mash
Prep. Peel rutabaga and carrots. Roughly chop them into similarly sized chunks and add them to a large stock pot and cover with cold water.
Cook. Bring to a boil over a high flame, and cook until your root veggies are a little past fork tender, about to fall apart. (This allows us to get a really creamy final product without adding as much fat or liquid.) About 30-40 minutes.
Combine. Drain your veg using a colander, then add to a food processor (you could also use a blender, immersion blender, even a potato masher or fork!). Add the butter and brown sugar, and blend until smooth and creamy - wiping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Taste for salt. Mine only needed a pinch.
I also had time to whip up a cabbage salad! Get the recipe here.
Serve. I like to serve up these chicken legs and thighs for dinner and save the breasts for lunches throughout the week. It’s super quick and easy to slice them up for salads, sandwiches, tacos, wraps, bowls of all kinds - anything really!
I paired this herbaceous chicken and slightly sweet puree with a crisp and tangy cabbage salad, which added a BIG UMAMI element from the blue cheese. Highly recommended.
Thanks, Claire, for sharing your delicious low fodmap recipe with us!
NOTES:
Meal Prep: My favorite way to use these cooked chicken breasts to make chicken salad!
Reheating Instructions: Microwave under a wet paper towel for 1 minute. Then place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet and place under the broiler (2nd rack from the top) for 5 minutes until heated through and the skin is crispy. You don't have to wait for your oven to preheat.
Make it Dairy FREE! If you’re in the elimination phase and you aren't eating dairy, you can simply use garlic oil and salt and pepper with whatever herbs and seasonings you like (not garlic and onion obviously). Even with the simplest preparation, this chicken is still SO FLAVORFUL from the fat in the skin.
Thank you guys so much for trying this recipe! I’d love to know what you think. Let me know in the comments! Don't forget to tag me if you post a pic, I love to see your cooking!!
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