Roast Chicken with Apple Cider (paleo, whole30)

December is holiday entertaining time.

Yay! for entertaining and parties and friends and all the holiday cheer! But “sighhh” because what are we going to serve? what are we going to wear? who is actually going to clean the house? How do I have time for all of this?

I at least have the answer to one of those questions. This Roast Chicken with Apple Cider is absolutely delicious and perfect for entertaining! Your house smells amazing and you look like a total pro with a tender, juicy chicken that is perfectly browned and crispy on the outside. It comes with a wonderful tangy gravy made with the apple cider and chicken juices.  Did I also mention that this is paleo (uses ghee!) and whole30 compliant. Yup, you’re going to want to make this one.

Are you ready to give it a go, you party animal you?

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So you want to make a juicy and tender chicken full of flavour? You have come to the right place!

To make this delicious Roast Chicken I have a few tips to help you:

1. Take the chicken out of the fridge about half an hour before cooking it so that it is at room temperature.
2. Don’t pass on the herby ghee mixture. This extra step adds so much flavour!
3. Baste the chicken once or twice throughout the cooking process.
4. Cut the vegetables about the same size so that they cook evenly.
5. Add the vegetables when you have 40-45min left of cooking
6. Serve the chicken right away (don’t cover it as the skin will get soggy)
7. Definitely make the gravy (it takes an extra 5 minutes) and is DELISH!
8. Use fresh herbs instead of dried
9. Roast the chicken for the first ten minutes at 450 F and then for every 500g, roast 20 minutes at 350 F(until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F)
10. ALWAYS use a meat thermometer. It saves you from guessing and always delivers perfectly cooked chicken.

Looking for other paleo and whole30 main dishes? Try these:

Orange Glazed Chicken Thighs (paleo, whole30)

Autumn Chicken Cobb Salad (paleo)

Thai Chicken Collard Wraps (paleo, whole30)

Thai Coconut Cauliflower Soup (paleo, whole30, vegan)

Tried the recipe? loved it? Rate it and tag #sweetlizzy on Instagram!

Roast Chicken with Apple Cider (paleo, whole30)

An easy roast chicken packed with flavour and perfect for entertaining! Paleo and whole30 compliant!

• Author: Sweet Lizzy

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

Ghee mixture:

1/2 cup ghee at room temperature

1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary

1 tbsp minced fresh thyme

zest of one lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

For the Chicken:

1 whole organic chicken (about 4 lbs), giblets removed at room temperature (remove chicken from fridge 30 minutes before cooking)

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 lemon cut in slices

handful of fresh thyme and rosemary

2 small onions, quartered

1 1/2 cups apple cider ( I used one that didn’t have any sugar added to make it whole30 compliant)

For the vegetables:

2 small carrots, cut in slices

1/2 lb small potatoes, halved

2 apples, cored and sliced

fresh rosemary and thyme

For the Gravy:

1 cup liquid leftover from the chicken

2 tbsp broth (optional)

1–2 tsp tapioca starch

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. Rinse and pat your chicken dry (should be taken out 30 minutes before)
3. Make the herby ghee: Mix all of the ghee ingredients together in a small bowl.
4. Using a spoon loosen the skin from the chicken on the top (breasts and drumsticks). Scoop about 3/4 of the ghee mixture under the skin and work it around so it covers the whole top.
5. Place the chicken on top of the quartered onions in your roasting pan (I used a standard 9×13 baking dish).
6. Stuff the chicken with the sliced lemon and a handful of fresh herbs(rosemary and thyme).
7. Truss the chicken with twine.
8. Rub the rest of the ghee mixture over the whole chicken.
9. Pour the Apple Cider in the roasting pan around the chicken.
10. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 10 minutes.
11. Turn the oven down to 350 F and roast for another 30 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, prep the veggies and apples.  Cut them all about the same size so that they cook evenly and toss in a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and some freshly chopped herbs.
13. Remove the chicken and baste it. Add the prepared vegetables around the chicken and place back in the oven rotated 180 degrees.
14. Roast for another 30 minutes.
15. Baste the chicken again. Stir the veggies around and check the internal temperature of the chicken.  Roast for another 10-15 minutes until the chicken reaches 165 F internally (use a meat thermometer!)
16. To make the gravy whisk 1 cup of the leftover liquid with 2 tbsp chicken broth and 1 tsp tapioca starch over medium heat until it starts to thicken.  If it doesn’t thicken add another tsp of tapioca starch.
17. Serve right away and enjoy!

Notes

**This recipe was inspired by the Roast Chicken from Recipe Tin Eats