There is really nothing better than a perfectly roasted chicken. Still, many people are terrified to cook one, dreading a dried out, tough bird. I have had many clients use this recipe to impress a date and couldn’t believe how well it turned out for an amateur cook! Hope you enjoy!
What do you need?
- 1 whole, all natural chicken 3.5-4 pounds (For U.S. based grooms, I recommend Bell & Evans brand or the ‘young amish chickens’)
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 large sweet potato, cut into 6 to 8 rounds
- A few sprigs of rosemary (optional)
What do you do?
- Heat the oven to 450°F.
- Arrange the sweet potato slices on the bottom of a baking dish (you will be putting the chicken on top of them so put them close together like you are making a platform).
- Rinse your chicken inside and out. Remove the bag of innards from the cavity. If you like the liver and heart, remove them from the bag and place them back into the cavity of the chicken.
- Place the chicken breast side up on the sweet potato rounds
- Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the chicken and put another tablespoon inside the cavity.
- Season the whole chicken very generously with salt and pepper, inside and out. If using rosemary, put the sprigs inside the cavity.
- Place the baking dish in the oven, close the door, then set the timer for 60 minutes. Don’t do anything with the chicken until the timer goes off.
- When the timer goes off, remove the dish from the oven. Carefully move the chicken to a serving platter, scoop up the sweet potatoes to eat with it!
Serve with lemon wedges, whole grain mustard and some crusty, fresh bread!
Simple, comforting, and almost impossible to mess up.
Besides being an avid amateur equestrian, Kimberly Maloomian is a registered top dietitian. She has been the lead dietitian at The Miriam Hospital in RI and she runs her private consulting firm Kimba’s Kitchen offering medical nutrition therapy, weight management strategies, and wellness services for individuals or companies nationwide.
Kimberly: “In my late teens and early 20s I was a groom, on the road, failing at keeping myself healthy. Much of the reason I became a dietitian was to learn how to properly care for myself, and it has evolved into a passion for helping others learn to do the same. I identify with all the grooms out there and while the industry and world are always evolving, one thing remains constant. What we put into our bodies leads to our success in everything we do, and mentoring people to be the best versions of themselves is the ultimate honor.”
