Recipe: Herbed & Roasted Whole Bird

I’m shooting from the hip here with this recipe. Not that it isn’t tried and true, I just don’t really write down all my kitchen creations, I have skill & knowledge so I just get to cooking and build the flavors as I go. You’re not going to have to scroll and scroll to get to the recipe, but I do have this to say first:

The reason for this blog post comes from a couple conversations I’ve had the Marble Falls Farmers’ Market. We sell beef, eggs, and whole chickens. Often when I remind a customer at our booth that we also have whole pasture-raised chicken available, they tell me that they’re not sure how to cook one. I usually follow up by asking about how they eat chicken; is it usually chicken breast on a salad? Wings? Most often they consume chicken in its individual parts. Did you know that you pay more for that?

Everywhere you buy chicken, be it from the standard grocery or from the farmer directly, you pay more to buy PARTS of a chicken, versus buying the whole thing. Knowing what I know, I think it’s a tragedy to home-economics if you’re only buying skinless chicken breasts. Just buy the whole damn bird, take the breasts out, and then you still have the thighs, the wings, the tenders, and for PETE’S SAKE all the bones! You’re throwing your money away to packaging and someone elses labor.

Ingredients Needed

1. Whole chicken (pasture-raised birds are the highest quality most nutrient dense.)

2. Cooking fat (a couple tablespoons of lard, butter, tallow, olive oil, or coconut oil - no seed oil crap)

3. Herbs (approx. 1/4 cup of rosemary, thyme, oregano, or sage - whatever you have, dried or fresh, finely chopped)

4. Salt (approx 1 tsp - use a seasoned or smoked salt for more flavor)

5. Vegetables (completely optional, but you’re already going to be roasting this bird in the oven, might as well throw in a couple carrots, onions, or peppers, along with it. Then when everything is done, you have more food ready-to-go to enjoy with the chicken or something else. I roast veggies whole or quartered.

Kitchen Tools Needed

1. Dutch oven or other roasting dish

2. Oven (dutch oven or roasting pan is going to go in here)

3. Parchment paper (optional, but really it makes clean up so much easier when you use it to line the roasting pan - different from wax paper, don’t use that stuff unless you like eating crayons)

The Road Map

This is how the whole chicken is going to go from thawed and raw to deliciously roasted with a crispy herbed skin. I must also take a moment here to say, this isn’t the only way to roast a bird. You can also brine the bird for 1-2 days in a solution with salt, herbs, and vinegar and complete the same process. We’re going with simplicity on this one. If you’re the type who hasn’t cooked many whole birds, the hardest part is going to be remembering to pull it out of the freezer to thaw. It really helps the flavor and texture of the end product.

1. Thaw the whole chicken in the fridge for at least 24 hours - this IS part of the recipe.

2. Preheat oven to 400F

3. Pat the whole chicken dry using paper towels or cotton towels you’ll wash later - the chicken needs to be dry for the cooking fat to stick to the skin.

4. Rub the whole chicken down with your selected cooking fat. I personally prefer butter. I spend time on this part making sure I have all the crevices covered in fat. This will protect the skin as it’s roasting, and many herb flavonoids are fat soluble, which is just going to make everything taste richer and makes it also more bioavailable for your bod. Rub down your vegetables with the same fat if you chose to add them.

5. Stab the whole chicken with a knife all over. Optional. I feel it allows the flavored juices & fats to pentrate into the meat better. Knife works better than a fork for this effort.

6. Coat the bird with herbs & salt. I’m hands on, I sprinkle and pat it in with my hands to make sure it’s well covered. Extra credit if you decide to stuff some of the herbs UNDER the skin. You can do this by using your knife cuts as little doorways, or just lift the skin by the neck and stuff the herbs in there.

7. Place your whole herbed chicken in the roasting pan BREAST SIDE DOWN on top of parchment paper. This allows juices to flow down into the breasts making them juicier. We’re going to flip the bird (heh. 😏) at least twice during the roasting. You can flip it more than twice which will allow the juices to be better incorporated. Not required but does make the chicken even better. If you have a rotisserie, get down with your badself - otherwise pop that thing in the oven) ADD YOUR VEGETABLES now.

8. Roast for 20 minutes breast side down, then flip the bird breast side up and roast for an additional 20 minutes still at 400F.

9. REDUCE OVEN TEMP TO 300F - we’re aiming for a deep golden colored skin, taking approximately 1-2 hours.

10. When the skin is the right color, turn off oven, remove the whole bird and let it rest on the counter for 15-20 minutes. This is an integral part of preparing meats, the rest period.

11. After resting you can now start to part out your bird. Save the breasts for later for a salad, or you can slice and eat right away. Legs and wings can be served whole, coated in your favorite dressings, or further de-boned and used for soups or chicken salads. I always save the carcass because I believe in Killing the Same Bird Twice, and make some excellent stocks for future meals and recipes. Here’s a GREAT video from Marissa at Whipporwill Farms in South Carolina showing how to part out a whole bird prior to cooking.

I hope this post was helpful to you, and that you feel inspired and confident buying whole pasture-raised chickens from our local farmers’ market. If you have questions or need more recipe ideas, please send me an email at hello@flatrockcreek.com <3 Katie Jo