Food Kuel Category Expert: Janet Neustedter
Roasting a whole chicken or turkey can be a little overwhelming – where do you start?
“I use simple, flavorful ingredients.”
I have made my turkey and chicken this way for years – and always to rave reviews. I use simple, flavorful ingredients. And my husband has never liked a stuffed bird, whether I roast a bird for dinner or it is full-on Thanksgiving.
Join Janet In Her Kitchen:
This Is My Preparation Method For Roasting A Whole Chicken Or Turkey:
- A few rosemary stalks (fresh preferred please)
- 2 lemons washed and sliced
- 8-10 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled (take a big knife on each clove, smash it, remove skin)
- 1 carrot broken in 3 pieces (no need to peel or cut end off)
- 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
- Dried herbs such as Herbs de Provence
- 4 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- 1 onion cut into quarters (no need to peel)
- The bird!
A Few Tips Here:
You will have to touch the raw bird! To many people that is hard to get past. However, don’t let the fact that this bird is raw make you not want to cook it.
“Take the lemon slices and push them under the skin all around, as many as you can fit..”
Set the oven to 450 degrees.
Have the bird sit breast side up in a roasting pan.
From the breastbone, lift the skin, and then slide your other hand underneath to break the attachment of the skin to the breast. In addition, gently push around to loosen the skin on both sides of the breast and around the legs.
Wash your hands 😊
Take the lemon slices and push them under the skin all around, as many as you can fit. Moreover, repeat with the garlic, and then the rosemary stalks.
Put them in the area by the legs as well.
And Then:
In the cavity of the bird, put the carrots, onion, parsley, and garlic.
On top of the bird smash butter all around. The skin will repel it a bit, so press it on.
Wash your hands 😊.
In addition, sprinkle the top generously with the herbs, sea salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees to sear the chicken or turkey, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. After that, for a chicken, roast for one hour total, for a turkey the general rule is 20 minutes per pound (18-pound turkey = 3.6 hours unstuffed).
Happy Roasting!
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About the Author:
Janet is a restaurant-trained chef, who has always had a healthy cooking interest. After being exposed to the term Functional Medicine, Janet became energized with the connection of food being medicine and food potentially being harmful (in the case of allergies). That connection inspired her to become certified in Functional Medicine Health Coaching. Functional Medicine is about identifying and addressing the root cause of diseases. Food is often a part of that link. People with stomach “issues” may just need a simple adjustment in the food they eat to have less pain. People trying to lose weight can do it without 100 burpees or running marathons. As a certified Functional Medicine coach, she helps clients identify what foods can help meet specific health goals. You can learn more about Janet on her site – Here4You.
