PERFECT ROASTED CHICKEN

As many of you know, Glow is based on a whole food, plant-rich diet (60 to 70% plant foods) that includes eating lean, organic and grass fed, humanely raised animal products in moderation. We function best eating BOTH animals and plants. I am in the camp that believes consuming certain animal products, like chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, wild game, and some red meats provides you with important nutritional benefits. Some of the benefits of animal products include:

• a valuable source of complete proteins – important for muscle and bone function
• provides you with healthy fats like DHA and EPA, active forms of Omega-3 fatty acids
• an important source of Vitamin B12 as you can’t get ANY amount from plants

I am super picky when it comes to eating any animal product – I make sure they are always ORGANIC, HUMANELY RAISED, GRASS-FED and/or FREE-RANGE. I could write a few pages at least on the importance of avoiding factory-raised products, but I will spare you the details. Just remember factory-raised animal products = GMO, toxins, pesticides, chemicals, hormones, inhumane practices and disease. Yeah, no thanks!

This is especially true when I buy Chicken. There are a few great farms out there like Smart Chicken and Murray’s that offer high-quality, non-GMO birds. Trust me, it’s so worth it to spend a few extra bucks and get a healthier and better tasting chicken!

Ok, enough of the chit chat, lets get down to the recipe. I swear this roasted chicken is not only simple to make but it’s clean, healthy and delicious! Nothing fancy here, just a good-quality whole chicken, fresh veggies, some fresh herbs and seasonings and homemade bone broth (which you can make more with from the bones of this chicken). Talk about getting the most from your food!!

Here’s the recipe:

• 3 to 5 pound organic, free range chicken
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 package fresh thyme, sage, rosemary or mix
• 1 1/2 cups Glow Bone Broth or organic store-bought chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the neck, gizzards and inside of chicken. Rinse, pat dry and place in roasting pan. Massage sea salt and pepper all over the inside cavity of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with onions, lemons and herbs; place any extras in the pan alongside the chicken. Pour 1 cup of chicken broth over entire chicken. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and generously sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

Place chicken on middle rack in oven. Bake for amount of time per pound as instructed. It is approximately 20 minutes for every pound. Baste the chicken with the pan juices a few times while cooking. Drain (with baster) any excessive pan juices.

Once the internal cooking temperature reaches at least 165 degrees and chicken is browned and crispy, remove chicken from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Carve the chicken and serve. Serve with some yummy roasted vegetables. Bon appetite!

xo, jenni