20 Clove Garlic Roast Chicken
Minimal effort for maximum flavour. Roasting the garlic mellows out the flavour to be more sweet and mild. It will make a garlic lover out of the toughest garlic critic.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 whole chicken (skin on)
- 2 heads garlic (about 20 cloves)
- 1 small onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 jalapenos or green chillis (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375*F (190*C)
- Prep your veggies: Peel the garlic cloves (or buy the ready peeled kind). Peel and slice the onion in half, peel and roughly chop the carrot and celery to about 2-3 inches long.
- Wash and pat dry the chicken (make sure the cavity is empty). Mix the oil, salt, pepper and thyme together and rub all over the chicken (make sure to turn it over and get it on the bottom too).
- Place the garlic cloves and chopped chillis in the bottom of a dutch oven or large deep roasting pan. Add the chicken on top. Make sure the breast side is up.
- Stuff the onion, carrot and celery into the cavity of the bird. Finish with stuffing the half lemon into the bird. You may need to tie the legs together with cooking twine to make sure the veggies stay in.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pan.
- Cover the pan, and place in the oven for 15-20 mins. The liquid in the pan should come to a boil.
- Turn the temperature up to 425*F (230*C), remove the lid from the pan and cook for an additional 40-50 mins. (About 20 mins per lbs of bird). Or internal temp of 165*F (75*C).
- When it is done, remove the chicken from the pan and allow it to cool for at least 10 mins before cutting into it. This will keep the bird moist.
- Meanwhile, place the pan with the cooking juices on the stove to bring to a boil. Use the back of a spoon to mash the garlic cloves up or use an immersion blender. This will make a nice roasted garlic gravy for your chicken. Add 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to the gravy if you like.
- Serve the chicken with roasted garlic gravy and some wilted greens (like spinach or kale) or on top of a large salad.
Notes
I don't recommend you eat the veggies stuffed inside the bird. Because it is inside the cavity the internal temperature may not be hot enough to kill all the bacteria. I just discard the stuffing before I cut up the bird for serving.