Butterflied Chicken with Roasted Vegetables for Full GAPS

Ebonie Garnica

Butterflied Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

This Full GAPS roasting-pan dinner uses a 4-to-5-pound butterflied chicken, carrots, red onion, zucchini, and melted ghee. Roast for 30 minutes, rotate the pan, and continue for about 25 minutes until the skin is golden. Rest the bird for 15 minutes, then check its temperature before carving.

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Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Rest 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

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• 1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 pounds, preferably organic and pastured
• 2 cups carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons ghee, melted
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

• Cutting board
• Sharp kitchen shears
• Large roasting pan
• Pastry brush
• Food thermometer

Method

 

Butterfly the chicken

1. Set the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board.
2. With sharp kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone from end to end.
3. Cut along the other side and remove the backbone.
4. Turn the chicken over and point the wings toward the legs so it lies flat in the pan.

Roast the chicken and vegetables

1. Heat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle position.
2. Put the butterflied chicken in a large roasting pan. Arrange the measured carrots, red onion, and zucchini around it.
3. Brush the chicken with some of the melted ghee.
4. Pour the remaining ghee over the vegetables and toss them gently to coat.
5. Season the chicken and vegetables with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Roast for 30 minutes.
7. Rotate the roasting pan 180 degrees, then continue roasting for about 25 minutes.
8. Look for crisp, golden-brown skin and 160°F when a thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the breast.
9. Remove the pan from the oven and rest the chicken for about 15 minutes. Before carving, check that the thickest breast and thigh have reached 165°F. If either is below 165°F, return the chicken to the oven and check again, then let it rest before carving.

Notes

Roast at 450°F for thirty minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees, then continue for about twenty-five minutes until golden and 160°F in the thickest breast. Rest about fifteen minutes, then verify 165°F in both breast and thigh before carving. If either is below 165°F, return the chicken to the oven, check again, then rest before carving. Active prep time is unspecified. The raw backbone may join a complete raw-meaty stock batch; it is not a complete stock formula by itself.

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This Full GAPS roasting-pan dinner uses a 4-to-5-pound butterflied chicken, carrots, red onion, zucchini, and melted ghee. Roast for 30 minutes, rotate the pan, and continue for about 25 minutes until the skin is golden. Rest the bird for 15 minutes, then check its temperature before carving.

I homeschool and work second shift, so an oven dinner with one measured pan is useful when the active work needs to be predictable. Butterflying makes the bird lie flatter than an intact roast; use this recipe’s own pan rotation and thermometer checks rather than borrowing another roast’s cooking time.

Yield: 4 servings
Roast: About 55 minutes
Rest: About 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 pounds, preferably organic and pastured
• 2 cups carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons ghee, melted
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Chicken is the main protein, and its skin and the measured ghee provide roasting fat. Salt and black pepper season both the bird and vegetables. Cut carrots, red onion and zucchini to their stated half-inch thickness; zucchini will soften more than carrots during the same roast.

Butterfly the Chicken

1. Set the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board.
2. With sharp kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone from end to end.
3. Cut along the other side and remove the backbone.
4. Turn the chicken over and point the wings toward the legs so it lies flat in the pan.

Reserve the raw backbone if desired. It may join the raw meaty chicken, skin, joints, and connective tissue in a future batch of homemade chicken Meat Stock. The backbone alone is not the complete meat-stock formula, and the cooked dinner carcass remains separate from the early raw-meaty method.

Roast the Chicken and Vegetables

1. Heat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle position.
2. Put the butterflied chicken in a large roasting pan. Arrange the measured carrots, red onion, and zucchini around it.
3. Brush the chicken with some of the melted ghee.
4. Pour the remaining ghee over the vegetables and toss them gently to coat.
5. Season the chicken and vegetables with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Roast for 30 minutes.
7. Rotate the roasting pan 180 degrees, then continue roasting for about 25 minutes.
8. Look for crisp, golden-brown skin and 160°F when a thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the breast.
9. Remove the pan from the oven and rest the chicken for about 15 minutes. Before carving, check that the thickest breast and thigh have reached 165°F. If either is below 165°F, return the chicken to the oven and check again, then let it rest before carving.

Physical Cues

Cut all three vegetables to the measured 1/2-inch thickness. The zucchini will soften more than the carrots in the roasting pan.

At the 30-minute mark, rotate the entire pan so the bird and vegetables continue roasting evenly.

The skin should be crisp and golden when the thickest breast reaches 160°F. The 15-minute rest follows; check for 165°F in the breast and thigh before carving.

Why It Fits Full GAPS

Fresh chicken, carrots, red onion, zucchini, homemade ghee, sea salt, and black pepper are supported Full GAPS foods in the forms used here. The measured recipe needs no flour, starch, sweetener, sauce, or commercial seasoning.

Butterflying opens the bird into a flatter shape than an intact whole roast. Keep its roasting time and pan rotation with this method rather than using the timing of a different whole-chicken recipe.

Leftovers

Transfer leftover chicken and vegetables to covered containers and refrigerate.

FAQ

Is Butterflied Chicken the Same As a Whole Roasted Chicken?

No. Removing the backbone changes the bird’s shape and the way it sits in the roasting pan. Keep this roast sequence with the butterflied bird.

When Can I Carve the Chicken?

After the 15-minute rest, check the thickest part of the breast and thigh. Both should read 165°F before carving.

Can I Add Broccoli, Cauliflower, Leeks, or Potatoes?

Use the measured carrots, red onion, and zucchini for this version. Potatoes remain outside standard Full GAPS.

What Do I Do at the 30-minute Mark?

Rotate the entire roasting pan 180 degrees, then continue roasting for about 25 minutes. Check the chicken’s temperature after its rest.

Can the Removed Backbone Make Meat Stock by Itself?

No. It can join a complete raw-meaty stock batch containing plenty of raw meat, skin, joints, connective tissue, and fat. Do not relabel the bare backbone alone as the complete recipe.

Related Recipes

For another Full GAPS chicken dinner, try Full GAPS Grilled Chicken with Green Olive Tapenade, or browse all recipes for more family dinners.

Recommended Equipment

• Sharp kitchen shears for removing the backbone
• A large roasting pan
• A pastry brush for the ghee
• A food thermometer

Next Steps

The Dinner Cookbook is coming soon, with more measured Full GAPS family dinners like this one. While it is being prepared, browse all recipes for tonight’s meal.