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By Katja Heino Leave a Comment
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Easy Roast Chicken

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how to roast a chicken, whole chicken. roast chicken

Roast chicken is a basic staple in our household.  It’s delicious.  It’s easy to make.  And the leftovers can be used for quick meals throughout the week.  Roasting a whole chicken is my favorite real food kitchen hack.  With just a few minutes of prep, you can enjoy a delicious dinner that basically cooks itself.  

Now when it comes to roast chicken, one thing I cannot stand is a dry bird.  I like my chicken moist and tender.  I have spent many years and many birds perfecting my technique.  Since I roast a whole chicken almost every week, I have had a lot of opportunity to practice.

My secret:  a dutch oven.  Well, any large pan with a heavy lid will do.  I have a thing for fancy cookware, so THIS is the one that I use.  Isn’t the color SO cute?  I look at my pots and pans as kitchen accessories and like to match them to my decor.  (Yes, I might be a total foodie geek!)

I also like to cook my chicken at a lower temperature.  This slow cook leaves the meat tender and juicy.  Like I said:  no dry birds for me.  The usual recommendation is to cook a whole chicken at 350’F for 20 minutes per pound plus an extra 15 minutes.  I bring the temperature down a bit and extend the time.  Perfect every time!

Oh, and another trick that I have learned is to shove the rosemary and garlic under the skin of the chicken.  This allows the flavors to seep into the meat more easily.  Using your fingers, simply loosen the skin at the top of the breast (where the big hole in the bird is) and slide the herbs in.  You’ll notice that I like to tie the legs of the chicken together with 100% cotton cooking twine. This makes for more even cooking.

how to roast a chicken, whole chicken. roast chickenhow to roast a chicken, whole chicken. roast chicken

My recipe is super simple.  A little ghee or butter, some salt and pepper, a few sprigs of rosemary, and a lemon.  Feel free to add any of your favorite herbs or spices to change it up a bit.  Oh, and don’t forget to use the leftover bones to make homemade bone broth.

xo,

Katja

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how to roast a chicken, whole chicken. roast chicken

My Favorite Roast Chicken

  • Author: Katja from Savory Lotus
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: one whole chicken 1x
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Ingredients

Scale
  • one whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry (I usually use a 3–4 pound chicken.)
  • 2 tbsp butter or ghee, softened
  • 1/2 tsp unrefined salt
  • a pinch of black pepper
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped chopped plus one extra sprig
  • 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced.
  • one lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300’F. Place chicken into a large dutch oven or pan with a heavy lid and tie the legs together with 100% cotton cooking twine.
  2. Zest the lemon and combine zest with butter/ghee, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture all over the chicken.
  3. Combine chopped rosemary and minced garlic. Gently peel the skin of the chicken away from the body at the top of the breast and push the rosemary/garlic mixture under the skin. You can sprinkle a bit of the mixture in the outside as well.
  4. Squeeze the entire lemon all over the chicken and slip the lemon halves and another full sprig of rosemary into the cavity of the chicken. Place heavy lid onto dutch oven/pan.
  5. Roast chicken for one and half hours, covered. Then pull out of oven and carefully ladle some of the juices from the chicken over the top to moisten it.  Cover and return to oven. 
  6. Increase heat to 375’F and continue to roast for another 35-45 minutes, until juices run clear.  Internal temperature should be at least 165’F. 
  7. For a browner, crispier skin, remove lid and broil top of chicken for 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to sit for 10 minutes, and enjoy!

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how to roast a chicken, whole chicken. roast chicken

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Filed Under: Main Course, Whole30 Recipes Tagged With: chicken, roast chicken

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Hi I’m Katja!

And this is how we do healthy in our family. Just REAL food. Simple. Easy. Gluten free. More about Savory Lotus

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👩‍🌾🪴👩‍🌾 celebrated ONE year of 👩‍🌾🪴👩‍🌾 celebrated ONE year of living in the mountains of NC by starting the process of putting down more roots • we made the HUGE leap from CA to NC last year and have been creating a new life with new businesses, new school, new friends, more time with family, some lonely days, missing community, lots of challenges + things to adjust to • asheville has been good to us in many ways • it’s incredibly beautiful with so much flowing water • grateful to be in such a lush, nature-filled place 

👩‍🌾🪴👩‍🌾 we are ready to settle into the land here a bit more • we’ve already planted 15 fruit trees and lots of berries • this weekend we started assembling the 8 garden beds we got from @vego_garden • looking forward to filling them with living soil to grow high vibe food 🥬🥦🥒🍅🫐 • we chose these non-toxic metal beds instead of wood hoping they will last longer • they seems super sturdy + we love the look • but holy hardware... lots of nuts + bolts 😆

👩‍🌾🪴👩‍🌾 here’s to deeper roots + growing more food with @alexeibcreative and our little human • looking forward to sharing more as we create a living food forest in our yard 🥦🥒🥬🍏🍐🍎🍉🫐🧅🥕🍠
👩‍🍳why i make my own crackers: bc most cra 👩‍🍳why i make my own crackers: bc most crackers are loaded with inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, soy, etc) • these SAVORY SEED CRACKERS are made with just a few simple ingredients • so easy to make • gluten free, nut free, grain free  and vegan-friendly • they have just the right amount of crispy saltiness, which is why we eat crackers, isn’t it?

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup sunflower seeds -preferably soaked and dehydrated (activated)
* 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds – preferably soaked and dehydrated (activated)
* 1/2 cup sesame seeds 
* 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 
* 3 tbsp melted ghee or coconut oil
* 2 tbsp coconut aminos OR gluten free tamari 
* OPTIONAL: coarse sea salt (or regular salt) for sprinkling 

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 300’F.
2. Place sunflower and pumpkin seeds into food processor and process until you get a coarse flour-like consistency (about a minute or so).
3. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined and mixture sticks together and begins to form a ball.
4. Press mixture into a firm ball and press down onto a surface lined with parchment paper.  Cover with a second piece of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4 inch (or thinner) depending on how thick you want your crackers.
5. Lift parchment paper and place onto large baking sheet. Score into desired sized crackers with sharp knife or pizza cutter. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt or regular salt, if desired. 
6. Bake for 18-22 minutes until desired crispiness. Use the sharp end of a spatula to separate crackers. Allow to cool completely before storing in air-tight glass jar. (If you like them EXTRA crispy, pop them back in the oven for a minute or 2 after you separate them.)
🧘🏽‍♀️ how are you investing in yoursel 🧘🏽‍♀️ how are you investing in yourself? • what are you doing DAILY to build your wellness bank, to create abundance, to fuel + nourish your body, to make yourself more resilient, to create peace in your mind? 

🧘🏽‍♀️ it’s the small daily habits that build a BIG healthy life • only you can show up for yourself this way • resist making excuses • lean into consistency • remember that you, just like plants + toddlers , thrive on rhythm + routine • pour into yourself just a little bit every day 💗
🌊🙏🌊 sunday church • have a sweet day, y 🌊🙏🌊 sunday church • have a sweet day, you beautiful humans 💗
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