This chicken is an easy main course for lunch or dinner. It’s also incredible as a meal prep base for weeknight dinners. Once the chicken cools, remove the meat from the bones, shred and or cut it, and then store it in the fridge for three to five days. Add the cooked chicken to your salads, soups, wraps, tacos, and spring rolls or even have it as your 4 p.m. mini meal. Serve with my Ginger Scallion sauce (add link to recipe from meatballs), my Magic Cilantro sauce (add link to recipe from Tostadas), or my Lemon Balsamic sauce (add Green Goddess Ranch Dip link to recipe).
Perfect Roasted Chicken
INGREDIENTS
Whole chicken (about 3 lbs. minus giblets)
1/4 tsp. salt
5–7 cranks of freshly ground pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F and move the rack to the middle of the oven. Dry the chicken inside and out on a cutting board or large plate.
-
Place the chicken on a parchment-lined roasting pan and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. You can truss it if you like (just tie the legs together). Or you can skip this step and place a small hole in the skin on both sides of the bottom of the breast, cross the legs, and place the ends through the skin.
-
Cook until internal temp reaches 165°F. This should take about one hour for a three-pound bird. If you notice it’s getting too brown, you can cover the top with aluminum foil, which stops the browning. Take the foil off for the last 10 minutes to crisp up the skin and drizzle it with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil.
-
Pull out of the oven and let it rest on a trivet or baking rack for at least 10 minutes before carving so the chicken’s juices won’t leak out.
-
Store leftovers in the fridge for three to five days in an airtight container.
FAMILY NOTE: Serve with roasted veggies or grains like quinoa or pasta. This is delicious for lunch in a sandwich or salad.
Recipe developed for SWW by Carla Contreras
