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How To Roast The Perfect Chicken

Comfort Food, Dinner

One of the best meals is a truly pasture raised chicken that is juicy and packed with flavor.

One Pan, Simple Roast Chicken

An easy, one pan, simple roast chicken with lemon, rosemary and garlic.

  • 1 Whole Chicken
  • 5-6 Gold Potatoes
  • 3 Medium Carrots – peeled and cut into 3 inch peices
  • 1 Yellow Onion – Slice into quarters
  • 2-3 Sprigs of Rosemary
  • 1 Lemon
  • 1 Head Garlic (6 cloves)
  • 2 tbsp clarified butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

  1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Add the sprigs of rosemary whole inside the chicken, add salt and pepper, cut the lemon in half and add it inside the chicken as well. Take the whole clove of garlic, peel it and add around 6-7 cloves whole inside.

  2. Salt and Pepper the outside of the chicken. You can also rub butter on the outside of the chicken as well. Add butter to the pan. And place into the center of the plan.

  3. Slice the onion in half and then into quarters and add around the outside of the chicken. Slice the gold potatoes in half and then into quarters. Place into the pan. Place the carrots in the pan.

  4. Top the potatoes/onions/carrots with the 2 tbsp of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

  5. Roast in the oven for 1 1/2 hours and until the breast and legs read 165 degrees.

  6. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving.

 

Pasture Raised Chicken

Knowing where your food comes from is one of the biggest things you can do for your health. Poor living conditions for animals creates inflammatory conditions for their bodies, which you then consume. Getting your vegetables from local farms that do not spray pesticides and other chemicals reduces your exposure to toxins. Plus, you support your local farmers – a win all around.

You want to look for chicken that actually gets to move around (not crammed into massive barns, standing in their own waste their entire life). Chickens are meant to eat bugs, grass and greens, weeds and all sorts of food in a pasture. A healthy, optimally raised animal is not only less cruel, it is also high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which are key for fighting inflammation.

How To Find Healthy Chicken/Pork/Beef

  1. Find a few local farmers and ask if you can go out to see their farm. See the living conditions of the animals and ask about their feed. What an animal eats can also increase inflammation – which again, you consume.
  2. Read the labels! Even though the labeling on most products is very misleading, you can look for labels that say grass fed and *finished* beef, pasture raised chicken etc.
  3. Find companies that are on a mission to change how we source our meats.

Recommendations

I’ve spent quite a lot of time tracking down different companies where you can order healthy, well sourced meat online. I have also found local farmers and friends who raise animals and will buy my meat through them instead of at the store. Yes, you need a freezer – but it’s often very cost effective and the bottom line… it’s healthier.

Here are some of my personal recommendations:

  1. Pasturebird – you can order multiple different sized boxes in different cuts. They are based out of California and I highly recommend checking out their instagram. This is how chickens should be raised.
  2. Primal Pastures – has a lot to offer beyond just chicken. Their goal is the same as many of the other companies on this list – know where your food came from, know that it led a quality life, it was fed what it was meant to eat and it wasn’t inject with a bunch of unnecessary chemicals.
  3. Butcherbox – another great option for grass fed and finished beef, free range chicken and pork. You can put together a box that fits your needs and it’s delivered straight to your door.
  4. Pride of Bristol Bay is one of the best companies for buying salmon. Getting fresh, wild caught salmon (or any fish) that is NOT FARMED, is the only way you should eat fish. And we should be eating quite a bit of fish!

Check out all of these amazing companies. They are making an impact in the food production and distribution world, which is vital for improving the health of everyone.

Where I Sourced This Chicken

Of course, a shout out to my local farmer and friend who raises (and raised) these chickens, and our pork. She raised these chickens for us and we went over for an entire day to help her process and package them. If you are in the Portland/Salem Oregon metro areas, I highly recommend getting in touch with her if you’re interested in healthier chicken, pork and eggs!

Do you carefully choose and source your meat and produce? What tips have you found work best for you? Leave a comment below!