When I met my husband, I was a raw foodist (consuming only raw vegetables, fruits and nuts). I admit a big part of that lifestyle was my need to control my food intake, to control what I consumed by limiting what I allowed myself to eat. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with raw food diets, Paleo, veganism, vegetarianism, or any of the food choices that so many people make. For me, though, it was less about health and more about control.
As I learned to listen to my body and trust my cravings, I started craving eggs. So, being the excited extremist that I am, I went out and got myself some baby chickens. My future-husband was in shock! A few weeks later I craved fish and while I didn’t go buy an aquarium, I did start incorporating it into my eating habits. Slowly but surely, I began eating fish, eggs and eventually beef. Once I got pregnant, I was eating several hamburgers a week! What a change…
Poultry and pork were foods that I didn’t crave or desire for a long time and I still don’t eat pork, but poultry I’ve eased into over the last few years. It was hard at first, after years of being a vegan, to allow myself to touch, cook and eventually eat something that I had kept out of my reach for so long. I can’t say it’s always easy. My body feels better with clean proteins in it, but my mind shudders a little at times.
All this said, I have to find really creative and yummy ways to cook poultry in order for me to enjoy it; roast chicken is one of those ways. I wanted to share this really easy and delicious way that I prepare a chicken. It’s really easy to make and everyone loves it. Once I got past touching a raw, whole chicken, this became one of my favorite meals to prepare for my family! I hope you’ll try it and enjoy it as well.
Final note: We do not consume poultry that contains hormones or antibiotics. We don’t want to feed those to our children and I, personally, cannot stomach the conditions the chickens might be raised in. I recommend local farms, free-range, hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken only.
Easy, Roast Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
2 lemons cut in fourths
2 onions cut into chunks
4-7 potatoes chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
5 carrots chopped
Any other vegetables you have on hand
4 TBSP butter melted
½ cup of wine (I prefer white, but will use whatever)
1-2 cups of water
1 TBSP oregano
1 TBSP parsley
1 TBSP sage
½ TBSP thyme
salt & pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425. Wash the chicken thoroughly and remove the insides. Immediately transfer to a roasting pan with the drumsticks pointing up. (I have a really old pan, so I line it with foil. Hope to remedy that one day.) Squeeze one of the lemon fourths all over the chicken and shove the rest of them inside with half of the onion pieces. Pour the melted butter over the chicken and arrange the other vegetables around the chicken. On this particular day, I had a huge zucchini from the garden and I added that to the array as well. Sprinkle the spices all over the chicken. Pour the wine over the vegetables and then add water to the pan – this will create a wonderful juice to pour over everything when served.
Place in the oven for one hour. At the one hour mark, baste the chicken in the liquid. I use a small ladle to do it because we don’t have a baster, but a baster would probably be easier! I’ve tried using a thermometer but it wasn’t reliable and I can tell you that it is beyond frustrating to serve dinner and find out it’s not cooked all the way! So, what I do, is cut into a breast all the way to the bone, making sure juices run clear and the meat is white. If not, return to the oven for 10-minute increments, checking each time to make sure the meat is cooked all the way through.
When it’s finished, set it aside for at least 10 minutes and cover with foil. Then serve! I love that it’s a one-dish meal and it comes together so quickly. Between the chicken, the potatoes and the vegetables, we don’t need anything else. It makes great leftovers and I often use the carcass to make an incredible chicken broth, but that’s a blog for another time!
