March 24, 2017
Oh you Fancy!
This chicken may look fancy, but the steps to make it are anything but. “Fake it til you make it” as they say. With only 5 minutes prep time and less than 8 ingredients (many of which are likely already in your kitchen), this dish has become one of my favorites to prepare on Sunday night. The smell alone will make you fall in love and the crispiness of the skin is to die for.
This chicken is the perfect recipe for a Sunday night because we all know the best part of cooking a whole chicken is the leftovers. We like to pair the chicken with some roasted veggies and then shred the rest to keep in the fridge for salads or soups like my Chicken Chile Verde (which I’ll be sharing later this week.)
One of the hardest parts of cooking, healthy or not, is having to buy new or fresh ingredients. It is most frustrating when a recipe calls for 1/2 cup of fresh herbs, and you have an abundance left over that go unused or spoil. My goal with this blog is to share recipes with common ingredients within the same week so we all can save a little time and money.
I remember the first time I roasted a bird I thought I was Martha Stewart! I felt very accomplished but sadly it’s easier than it looks and if this is your first time you’ll quickly realize it takes zero skill to roast a chicken. Marinate, place in oven, set timer. Easy as one, two, three!
If you took my advice and got my clean eating essentials, you were already over prepared for the ingredients in this recipe. I typically don’t buy pre-chopped fruits or veggies because it’s much cheaper to buy the fruit and take the 2 minutes to chop it yourself . However, when it comes to garlic I make an exception. These peeled Garlic Cloves from Trader Joes & my garlic press are two of my favorite items in the kitchen. If you don’t have a garlic press and are chopping by hand, this will change your cooking life. I have an OXO brand press found here on Amazon; I purchased mine at TJ Maxx for slightly cheaper.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have a roasting pan, created a make shift pan using a cookie sheet, cake pan or casserole dish covered in foil. Place a cooling rack on the foil, or roll up some foil into balls to place under the bird to keep it raised from the pan. Ensure the cookie sheet has raised sides, as there will be drippings. Buy a Roasting Pan on Amazon.
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
- 2 tbsp ghee softened
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or 1/2 lemon squeezed
- 1 additional lemon
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- In a small bowl mix ghee, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, sage, garlic, salt & pepper
- Pat the chicken dry and remove any innards
- Rub lemon garlic mixture all over the chicken (don't forgot to place under skin)
- Slice the extra lemon and place 2-3 slices on top of the bird, place the remaining lemon inside the bird
- Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes
- Carefully remove your desired pieces. Shred the remaining chicken to store for leftovers.
