Recipes & Food Styling

Whole roasted chicken is “easy like Sunday morning.”

Growing up, Easter was always ham. After surviving breast cancer, these days, every meal is an opportunity to eat lighter and healthier. Few meals are more satisfying and wholesome as a good old whole roasted chicken, and making one is “easy like Sunday morning.

Get the freshest whole chicken you can find- not frozen if you can find it. Get it home and wash up some vegetables and fresh herbs and get it all together in the Dutch oven.

I generously salt and pepper the chicken – top and bottom – with pink Himalayn sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and then I slather it with cilantro chimichurri butter.

You can eat the chicken as is or make chicken chimichangas, sandwiches; you name it. Nothing like a fresh whole roasted chicken.

Whole Roasted Chicken with Cilantro Chimichurri Butter

Roast Chicken

1 roast chicken

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons chimichurri butter

1 bunch fresh tarragon

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

4 lemons, sliced

3 red onions, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut in 1-inch pieces

Trim chicken and drizzle olive oil over chicken; then cover chicken generously – on top and bottom – with salt, pepper and Cilantro Chimichurri Butter. Stuff cavity of chicken with slices of lemons and red onions and herbs. Place lemon slices under skin as well.

Surround chicken with carrots, red bell pepper and more onion and lemon slices; chopped garlic

Place in Dutch oven.

Roast in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes per pound of chicken.

Cilantro Chimichurri Butter

1 clump fresh cilantro

Juice of 2 lemons

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/4 cup exta virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes

1 stick butter, softened

Place all ingredients except for butter in food processor and pulse until well blended and creamy. Add as much oil, salt and pepper as desired.

Add butter to chimmichuri mixture and pulse in food processor three times to mix thoroughly.