Perfectly Roasted Whole Chicken
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Perfecting the art of roasting a whole chicken is key when following a Mediterranean, Paleo, Whole30, or Low Carb diet. Whole chickens make for easy meal prep as they provide a large amount of meat that can be used for salads, mixed with a Paleo or Whole30-approved bbq sauce or buffalo sauce, or paired with roasted veggies for an easy and delicious meal.
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How to Use Whole Chickens for Healthy Meal Prepping
The number of ways to use leftover or meal-prepped chicken is almost endless. I love keeping roasted chicken ready and available for last-minute meals and meal prepping for work.
The following food combos are just a few of my favorite ways to use chicken:
Power Bowls:
Chicken Burrito Bowls: chicken, cauliflower rice, lettuce, diced avocado or guacamole, salsa, and diced tomatoes
BBQ Chicken Meal Prep Bowls: chicken, bbq sauce, and roasted sweet potato, red onion and broccoli
Buffalo Chicken Meal Prep Bows: chicken, buffalo sauce, lettuce, diced avocado, chopped celery, thinly sliced red onion, and cherry tomatoes
Chicken Enchilada Bowls: chicken, cauliflower rice, enchilada sauce, diced green chiles, diced jalapeño, and diced avocado
Salads:
Greek Chicken Salad: lettuce, chicken, diced cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, and avocado, thinly sliced red onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese (if you aren’t following Paleo or Whole30), and a vinaigrette dressing
Thai Chicken Salad: coleslaw mix, chopped scallions, diced red bell pepper, diced cucumbers, fresh cilantro, and a peanut dressing
Strawberry Chicken Salad: baby spinach, fresh strawberries, pecan halves, chicken, thinly sliced red onion, and basil vinaigrette
The list goes on and on….
How to Perfectly Roast a Whole Chicken
The following recipe delivers a perfectly roasted chicken that is both crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It is made Paleo and Whole30 approved by brushing the chicken with olive oil or ghee.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove the giblets from the chicken.
Place the whole chicken in a baking dish (I use an 8x8 dish)
Pat the chicken dry using a paper towel, then brush the ghee or olive oil onto the chicken.
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven for 60 minutes. Rub more ghee or olive oil onto the chicken about halfway through to make the skin crispier.
Remove from the oven and check the internal temperature to make sure it has fully cooked through (it should reach 165 degrees F). If you don’t have a meat thermometer, poke the chicken using a fork or a knife and check to see that the juices are clear.
Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes:
A chicken is fully cooked when the thickest part reaches 165 degrees F.
A general rule of thumb is to cook each pound of chicken for 15 minutes. So, if you have a 4 lb chicken, 4 lbs. x 15 minutes per pound = 60 minutes in the oven.
Nutrition (does not include olive oil or ghee as the amount used varies):
Chicken Breast, 3.5 oz: Calories: 284 | Total Fat: 6.2 g | Total Carb: 0 g | Protein: 53.4 g
One Chicken Thigh: Calories: 109 | Total Fat: 5.7 g | Total Carb: 0 g | Protein: 13.5 g
One Chicken Wing: Calories: 42.6 | Total Fat: 1.7 g | TotalCarb: 0 g | Protein: 6.4 g
*Nutritional info cited here.
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