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Rested butterflied chicken with roasted carrots, red onion and zucchini
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
Rest 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

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

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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