The Wholesome Steward

There was a time I was intimidated by a whole raw chicken! I had made a couple over the years and a couple of turkeys as well. But it felt like a lot of work, plus there was the carcass I had to keep from the dogs. As far as I’m concerned, one can’t just slather it in bbq sauce or deep fry. Furthermore, why would I think of a whole chicken when I wanted to shred it for tacos, pasta, or green enchiladas? That is until a lovely youtuber demonstrated how wonderful using a full chicken can be! And it’s very cost-effective! With one bird you can get like 3 nights of dinner plus 3 quarts or more of broth! Plus, it works with my goal of eating more whole foods. and if you bought the individual parts of the chicken they would cost more per pound! I would assume this is because the butchers had less work to do to process the bird!

So, here’s how I like to do a whole roasted chicken! I like to prep the chicken and get it in the oven before, or during nap time, then let it cook slow and low for about 4-6 hours! The first night is a lovely, rustic dinner, of oven roasted chicken, with vegetables. Since were working on less waste, keep all the scraps, some will go in the bird for flavor some will go toward broth later, you can even use the organ meats from the bird for an extra boost of nutrients! When making broth using all the peels, skins, and butts is a great way to cut out waste while getting the vitamins, minerals, and proteins!

On the first night, after dinner, before refrigerating the chicken I like to use my fingers to pluck off all the rest of the meat and shred it up into nice little pieces. Then there are so many things that can be done with the leftover chicken! A favorite of our family is chicken pot pie! Whatever I do with the leftovers it stretches out the dinner and makes it last another 2 days at least! Then I use the leftover bones, stuffing and all, put it in the instant pot along with any other scraps from the freezer, you can keep any veggie scraps any time you’re cooking and use when you have enough to do a broth! Fill with water and turn on the slow cooker feature for a good long time, maybe 24 hours, I usually go longer.

First things first! Preheat the oven to about 275degrees. Next, we’ll deal with the veggies, I like to cut my root vegetables into 1.5-2-inch pieces. I LOVE garlic, so I keep whole cloves! Time to get the dutch oven ready, drizzle a little oil in the bottom of the pot. Now it’s on to the bird! I clean out and bleach my sink… just in case but try and keep the bird from touching. Then I remove the innards and rinse the chicken! Put them in the freezer bag, don’t toss, trust me, I won’t make you eat them! Make sure all the water is able to drip out of the cavity. Put the bird in the Dutch oven breast side up, that means wings and legs are pointed more upward. Wash your hands and gather your seasonings, I’m still finding my go-to flavor profile. This last time, it turned out super good, and I used turmeric, garlic and herb, cumin, salt, and lemon pepper, then I used my hands to rub that in. I use one hand to rub, and keep one hand clean for oil and seasonings. First drizzle with olive oil and rub all over, then you can premix seasonings or sprinkle them all on and rub in. Next we’ll stuff the bird! I get out my celery and assess what’s the best choice, if its a big new head I pluck some of the scrony center pieces, if those are gone and the head is smaller ill cut the bottom off, if neither is a good option I will just take half a stalk and chunk it up. I will see if I have apple, lemon, or orange, pick one and cut that into quarters or eighths as well. This last time I use 3 apples for a desert so I put the peels and cores inside Then I use a bunch of the scraps from earlier carrots, onion, and garlic. Alternating things as I stuff them inside. If I use citrus I will usually squeeze some on the outside of the bird as well and stuff the peels. Any excess stuffing bits can be added to the freezer bag with the organ meats! Now that the chicken is all dressed, its time to add the veggies all around the bird. I like to put the potatoes down first then carrots, then onions and garlic.

Once all of that is done, put the lid on, and bake for about 4 hours at 275 degrees. The chicken is done when you are able to cut and all juices are clear, and all meat is white! It’s pretty cheap to invest in a meat thermometer, I think I got one of the dial kinds at Walmart for 5-10 dollars, for me it’s worth it to know the food is safe. If you have a meat thermometer stick it in the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone but not touching the bone, the temp should read 170 degrees. I get mine in by nap time, 1pm and I leave it in the oven till my husband gets home around 6pm. It is suggested to typically let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes before cutting. If the day was not letting me get it in before nap and I got it later on you can cook at 475 degrees for 2 hours.

FREAQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS! I actually researched to find what some of the most common questions are!

What’s a whole chicken? The whole chicken is the body, legs, and wings. It is missing its head, and lower part of the leg, the feathers have been pulled and the insides have been removed. Sometimes they wrap the heart, liver, and some other organs and place them back in the body cavity. This is often called the giblets.

How to defrost a whole chicken? You will want to defrost in your refrigerator to reduce the chances of bacteria growth. It is wise to keep bird wrapped or covered and on bottom shelf so that no chicken germs get on anything else! Then its recommended 10 hours per 5 pounds!