Tuesday, May 31, 2011

This is Primal...

Saturday, I made my first-ever roasted chicken.  People have been trying to tell me for years that roasted chicken was not beyond me, but I've really never believed them.  Now I am a believer!   Not only was it super easy, it was definitely "primal".  Got the recipe/technique from The Primal Blueprint Cookbook.  The kids said it was the best ever roasted-chicken they've ever had.  Even the leftovers were moist!  (I thought it was darned good, but I think I was a little too timid with the seasoning.)


Dutch-Oven Herb Roasted Chicken
(adapted from The Primal Blueprint Cookbook)

Ingredients

1 Whole Roasting Chicken (washed and dried, with the cavity emptied of the goodies like the neck!)
1 Tablespoon "good" fat (poultry fat, ghee, olive oil, or non-hydrogenated lard) (I used ghee)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
4-6 cloves of garlic (I used garlic powder--probably 2 teaspoons- we like garlic)
1 teaspoon salt (the recipe called for "coarse sea salt", I had coarse Kosher salt)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried basil (I added this...wanted mine to be herb-y)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 250 F.
2) Using a dutch oven (or oven-safe roasting pan with a lid), melt fat on stove over medium heat.
3) Salt and pepper the chicken and then place breast-side down into the dutch-ove/roasting pan.  Add in onions, garlic, and basil.  Let cook uncovered for 8 minutes.
4)  Turn chicken and cook for additional 8 minutes.
5)  Remove from stove, add lid, and put the chicken in the oven.
6)  Cook from 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours (depending upon the size of your chicken...4 lbs take 1 1/2 hour, bigger takes longer)...my Costco chicken took 2 hours.
7)  Remove from oven and let sit for 20 minutes.  Serve with wonderful vegetables and enjoy.

That's it.  Roasted chicken (not breaded chicken) is primal, as long as you use good fats to brown it before putting it into the oven.

Told you it was easy.

Did I mention it was fabulous, too?

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