Is it weird to name your dinner? It’s not like I’m calling him Bob or anything… First names are too personal for those who become my dinner. But I just couldn’t help myself, this isn’t like we’re just grilling up some pre-cut chicken breasts, this is a WHOLE chicken, and he looks like a WHOLE chicken, so, in my world, he gets a name. And I talked to him while we bathed him, rubbed him down, and stuffed him.
You know, comments such as:
“Thank you Mr. Chicken, for being our dinner, I really appreciate it.” And…
“Mr. Chicken, you do look more scrawny than those barn-raised chickens, but I know your meat will be delicious!” And…
“Oh dear, Mr. Chicken, what have they done with your head???” (At precisely which point I try to forget that I’m cooking a chicken at all.)
I sent these messages telepathically to Mr. Chicken… I didn’t want Jake to think I’d completely lost it. I had already been making some very bad jokes earlier in the day, and I’m sure he was questioning my sanity already.
But I felt good about cooking up a whole chicken. Mr. Chicken was a scavenger at a local farm. He led a happy, free-roaming life where he pecked in the grass and hopped on and off of cows and picked flies and bugs from their eyes. ‘Cause that’s how the scavenger chickens roll. Or peck. Or whatever. And scientifically, that works out best for us humans. ‘Cause that’s how we roll. Or were meant to roll. Or whatever.
I think our recipe was a great tribute to his life… How can you go wrong with olive oil, Rosemary, fresh-squeezed lemons, garlic, and onions?
Ingredients:
- 1 fresh Whole Pastured Chicken
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 3 tablespoons chopped Rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt (optional… you really don’t need it with all these other great flavors)
Stuffing
- 1 cup Onion, chopped into large chunks
- 1 whole Lemon, quartered
- 1 tablespoon Rosemary (we used 1 whole sprig)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400. Thoroughly rinse chicken and place in a roasting pan.
All bathed and ready to go. See why them call them goose bumps??
Mix the minced garlic, lemon juice, and rosemary in a bowl, and coat all sides of the chicken.
Place chicken breast side up and add the fresh ground black pepper and sea salt. Add a small amount of water to the bottom of the pan.
Stuffing: Cut lemon into quarters; squeeze juice into the chicken cavity. Add onions and the already squeezed lemons to the cavity, along with the rosemary.
All stuffed & ready to go! We couldn't fit all the onion & lemon inside of him, so we put the extras in the bottom of the pan.
Cook UNCOVERED for about 10 minutes.
Slightly golden after 10 minutes @ 400.
Reduce heat to 350. COVER chicken loosely with aluminum foil and continue to bake approximately 60-90 minutes (30 minutes per pound of chicken).
Do you need a photo of "loosely covered"? Here it is, just in case :)
Check to see if chicken is done by making a cut inside the thigh to ensure the meat is thoroughly cooked. Remember, the texture will be slightly different with a scavenger bird. Ours turned out perfectly juicy, but the texture was still a little tough and stringy due to his scavenging way of life. He was delicious!
We had our Mr. Chicken with a nice side of Roasted Peppers and Zucchini... a staple at our house!
CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE RECIPE FOR MR. CHICKEN!
Happy eating! Joey
Sleep Love Eat 
Looks great! think I will try it in my Big Green Egg.
Thanks! What on earth is a big green egg?? I’m guessing some sort of slow-cooker?
OK, seriously, you ladies ROCK!!! I LOVE this blog and all of the fabulous recipes you post! I have never been much of a cook but I can say that I am a convert thanks to you and your paleo ways!! Thank you so much!!
Ooh – thanks Victoria!! I live for compliments :) Shelley & I only post things we enjoy cooking & eating, so it’s great to know that our formula is working for others too! Thanks for sharing :)
The Big Green Egg AKA The world’s best smoker and grill. http://www.biggreenegg.com
You can find them a Thompson’s Home and Harth in Issaquah. It is made for paleo cooking.
Thanks! I’ll have to check it out!
I grilled up some nice grass fed steaks on mine tonight. Along with asparagus (sp?) and fresh beets. I also use it to smoke briskets and pork shoulders.
Your cooking looks beautiful and yummy. Great site. Yeah, it is weird to name your dinner – could cause attachment/abandonment issues. :)
Thank you! You are so right about the abandonment issues, but it all goes away when you smell how good dinner is! :)
Not too sure how I found this blog but glad I did find it. Think I was looking for something else on google. Don’t know I agree 100% with what you say, but have bookmaked and will pop back to read to see if you add any more posts. Keep up the good work
I had a similar conversation with a chicken when I stopped being vegetarian. I think it’s better than sane, it’s perfect.
Mr. Chicken looks pretty yummy too.
That’s great! Thanks for your (supportive) perspective Juli!
Joey –
I just found your site. I have been a type 1 diabetic for 16 years and have been following Mark’s Daily Apple since August. I have some specific diabetes/paleo related questions for you…mostly related to insulin management during the transition…is there any way we could be in touch? Do you have a facebook profile or a profile on Tu Diabetes or an email connected to this site? I am just trying to think of a safe way for us to contact each other.
Thanks so much!!
PS – this chicken looks awesome. :) Will have to try.
Hi Sarah! Please feel free to email me at joey@paleogirls.com. I am also on Facebook :)