Apple Ginger Roasted Chicken
Roasted chicken is the basis of a lot of our meals. Not only is it great on its own or served up alongside vegetables; it also makes fantastic leftovers that can be used in anything from
salads to
soups. Of course the liver is great for pate (or
hiding in sausage!), and what’s left will make amazing
stock!
This time I decided to experiment a bit. Turns out that was a good thing, since I lost track of time and drastically overcooked this chicken (it was above 190 F when I took it out of the oven). My saving grace was having stuffed it with apple slices! The added moisture prevented the chicken from drying out.
Apple Ginger Roasted Chicken
serves 6
Ingredients
5-6 lb chicken
4 in chunk of ginger, sliced
1 medium apple, cored & quartered
3 T ghee, melted
salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Remove any giblets from the chicken and set aside for making stock or pate. Rinse chicken well in cold water and pat dry.
- Slice up some fresh ginger into thin slices.
- Slide the ginger slices under the chicken’s skin. Get pieces down between the thighs and the breast, and all over the breast.
- Stick the apple and a few pieces of ginger in the cavity of the bird.
- Brush about two thirds of the ghee all over the skin and rub liberally with salt.
- Place the chicken, breast side up, on an adjustable roasting rack set inside a baking dish large enough to catch all the drippings. You want the wings to be tucked in close, and the legs away from the breast. This helps it cook more evenly.
- Place the chicken in the oven and roast at 450 F for 15 minutes.
- Turn the oven down to 350 F and continue roasting for approximately 20 minutes per pound until a meat thermometer placed in the thigh registers 165 F. Every half hour, baste with ghee or pan drippings and rotate the bird.
- Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
|
 Ginger slices
 The bird had a rip in the skin, which didn't affect the end product at all
 Everything tucked in nicely. |
The Finished Product
This post is part of
The Weekend Gourmet.
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Oh, this looks really good… I just started Phase 5 of the GAPS Intro Diet..so I can definitely give this recipe a try…and that reminds me, I need to make some more ghee. My last batch, well, I let it cook to long and burned a little bit …yucky
Thanks for the recipe 
Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 