A member of the AIP community told a story about how she roasted chicken thighs at 400 degrees with vegetables on a sheet tray and everything turned out poorly because the vegetables created a pool of liquid and just steamed the chicken.
That got me thinking about why this chicken recipe works. I think the reason we can cook the chicken directly over the vegetables and everything still gets that golden flavor is two-fold: height (meaning the chicken towers over the vegetables) and a longer overall cook time. Vegetables do release steam and so it's important that the chicken skin have plenty of time to get exposed to dry heat for those crispy, not soggy, results.
At the end of the day, crispy chicken skin is about dry heat and will guarantee you get maximum flavor with as few ingredients as fat+salt.
And in case you were wondering, if you are working with chicken thighs, it's best to separate the chicken from the vegetables (but that's a recipe for another time).
Roasting a whole chicken over top of root vegetables with a garlic-herb rub reminds me of the comforts of a bowl of homemade chicken soup. You can use any herbs you wish, but I love parsley, thyme, and oregano--those same savory flavors you'd find in a bowl of soup.
What makes this recipe autoimmune friendly is the minimal seasoning (salt) and the fat (olive oil). Chicken is an affordable and healthy option when cooked in your own kitchen.
It's easy to assume that a chicken from the store is healthy, but the truth is, most people with leaky gut issues and autoimmune conditions need to eliminate known trigger foods over a period of weeks, months, or even years in order to slow inflammatory processes.
I know for my husband, when he ate chicken from the store, he would consistently become symptomatic whereas he would not when eating chicken at home. We determined in his case, he was sensitive to the cooking oil. Cooking meals at home with olive oil became a way of achieving a baseline between flare ups that often coincided with so-called convenience decisions.
To get foolproof results, you only need a thermometer but this recipe is pretty hard to mess up so if you don't have one, you can cook the chicken until you see the skin turn golden and it's pretty much done. Unlike turkey, chicken is pretty forgiving and tends to be juicy as long as you let it rest out of the oven before slicing it.
You can even cook the chicken over a layer of root vegetables for added flavor. The drippings season the vegetables and the vegetables release steam and keep the chicken just a tad moist on the bottom. It's truly a gardener's dream because you can always use whatever root vegetables and herbs you want.
AIP Whole Roast Chicken with Garlic and Herbs
Ingredients
- 2 root vegetables such as turnips, rutabagas, or sweet potato
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil avocado oil or tallow work, too
- 1 whole chicken 4- to 5-pound
- sea salt
- lemon and fresh herbs optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Peel the root vegetables (if desired) and cut into ½-inch cubes (large dice). Spread the vegetables in the bottom of a Dutch oven or large baking dish along with the whole garlic cloves. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and transfer on top of the root vegetables. Note: If using lemon or fresh herbs, you may stuff them inside the cavity of the chicken or place under the skin.
- Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 165℉ (or higher) and the skin is golden and crispy. Allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes. Carve the chicken on a cutting board and serve with pan juices and roasted vegetables.
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