Clean & Simple Roasted Chicken

We made this chicken for Thanksgiving and the entire family loved it! We don't actually like "traditional" Thanksgiving foods, so we served this with sweet-sweet potato cubes, balsamic garlic asparagus, and our fall cauliflower quinoa salad with raisins. Don't let the ingredients or steps fool you, it was actually pretty easy! Everything was simple and delicious!

This would be perfect for your next party or even just for your weekly food prep! We only had a little bit of leftover chicken but it was still fantastic the next day. 

We've made this recipe numerous times since we published it in 2015 so we thought it was time for an update! We use different vegetables each time so we've included a list of the ones that we recommend but use your imagination! The vegetables make this recipe delicious! We've made this with just one chicken (as you see in the video) and two chickens (as pictured). The seasoning we have listed is for more than one chicken. The other ingredients we have listed will be the perfect amount for one chicken.

Clean Eat Recipe: Clean & Simple Roasted Chicken

Seasoning Ingredients:

The list below should provide you with enough seasoning to make at least two chickens. If you do not want to make your own seasoning we love Lane’s BBQ rubs. We recommend the Garlic Rub for this recipe. Enter code heshe for 10% off! (affiliate link)

• 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp turmeric

Other Ingredients:

• 1 whole organic chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 oranges (recommended) or lemons
• 6-8 sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme

Your choice of vegetables (below are some options):

• 1 onion
• 6 carrots
• 4-6 parsnips
• 4-6 red potatoes

Watch How to Make Our Clean & Simple Roasted Chicken (1 Min):

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut onion, carrots, parsnips and potatoes into 1.5" - 2" chunks and place in bottom of roasting pan.  Mix the vegetables with about 1/2 Tbsp of the olive oil and toss with seasoning and additional salt and black pepper.  Place sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme on top of the vegetables.
3. Cut oranges (or lemons) into quarters and set aside until step #7.
4. Remove chicken giblets and rinse chicken carefully while removing excess fat and pin feathers.  
5. Place chicken on oven roasting rack over vegetables and lightly brush the outside of the chicken with the olive oil. Note - It is unnecessary to liberally coat the chicken in oil as the water from rinsing will help the seasoning rub bind to the skin. 
6. Liberally spread the seasoning on the inside and outside of the chicken.
7. Stuff the oranges (or lemons) into chicken cavity.
8. Place entire roasting pan in the oven and bake for 75-90 minutes or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165-degrees Fahrenheit.  
9. When chicken is complete, cover entire pan with aluminum foil for 15-20 minutes.
10. Transfer chicken and vegetables to separate platter.  Carve (or pull) chicken and enjoy!

Below are the nutrition facts that we calculated (for the chicken only). You will need to calculate your specific nutrition information for the vegetables that you use.

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

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Not kidding here, it took us 16 months to take our Instant Pot out of the box. I was SO. SCARED. and I don't know why. I was just certain that it was going to blow the roof off of our house. I actually made Scott try it first. He made some sort of chicken dish. After that, I started making our boiled eggs and quinoa in it each week. And then that's all I did. Until last night when we made our weekly chili in it. SO FAST. What I normally leave in the crock pot for hours and hours took less than 40 minutes. But this isn't about chili, this is about chicken. I used to always make our chicken by boiling it on the stove. I even wrote about how to boil chicken here. I love it because it keeps the chicken juicy...we actually hate baked chicken because it's always so dry! The Instant Pot did the same thing but in less time and hands off (I only had to shred it, instead of monitor it the whole time to see when it started boiling, etc).

We have the 6 quart Instant Pot (it has over 22,000 customer reviews on Amazon with 4.5 stars!

Ingredients:

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Organic Chicken Broth (or water)
• Spices, your choice (We use sea salt, black pepper, and minced garlic)

Directions:

1. Add chicken to Instant Pot

2. Add spices of your choice (we normally use sea salt, black pepper, and minced garlic)

3. Cover with chicken broth or water

4. Ensure that the vent is set to sealed and press the poultry button

5. Once the chicken is finished, allow a natural release for 5-10 minutes

6. Once cooled (5-10 minutes), shred chicken and enjoy!

We love using ours in Savory Chicken Casserole and Clean Eating Chicken Salad!

Grilled Chicken with Pesto Cauliflower

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bertolli. The opinions and text are all mine.

As you know by now, we only make simple recipes. We try to live a simple life overall and that definitely applies to our cooking! We don't want to spend all day in the kitchen, we have trails to explore! So don't let the ingredients and steps fool you in this recipe. It is a very simple recipe to create and it tastes delicious!

There are essentially only five ingredients (not including any of the spices!): chicken, Bertolli Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, kumquats, purple cauliflower, and Bertolli balsamic vinegar. You may have noticed from many of our other recipes that we use organic extra virgin olive oil consistently. It's important to pick a good olive oil though and they are not created equal! Bertolli Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is non-GMO and verified USDA Organic, made from organic olives, and produced using organic farming standards. Number one oil brand in the world with over 150 years of expertise in olive oil blending

We use olive oil to coat our pans when cooking or sautéing, on our salads as salad dressing, and in recipes to make them full of flavor! The Grilled Chicken with Pesto Cauliflower recipe we are sharing with you today is definitely full of flavor. It is sweet and savory, all at the same time! The best part is you'll have dinner ready in less than 30 minutes (not including the marinating time for the chicken – don't forget that part!)!

Grilled Chicken with Pesto Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Bertolli Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (4 Tbsp for pesto, 1 Tbsp for each foil packet)
• 1 head of purple cauliflower
• 6 kumquats (4 for juice squeezed into pesto, 1 for each foil packet)
• 8-12 leaves of basil (used for pesto)
• 5 cloves of garlic (1 used for pesto, 2 for each foil packet)
• Sea Salt
• Crushed Black Pepper

Directions:

Pesto:

Add ingredients below to a food processor and mix until basil leaves are finely ground and mixed.

• 4 Tbsp Bertolli Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of 4 freshly squeeze kumquats
• 8-12 basil leaves
• 1 fresh garlic clove or ½ tsp minced garlic
• Dash of sea salt

Cauliflower foil packets:

1. Wash and cut purple cauliflower into pieces (about 1.5 inches), split into two even servings for grilling in foil packet. Add to 18" x 18" piece of foil.
2. Cut 2 kumquats into small pieces (about ¼ inch), split evenly and add to each foil packet
3. Add 2 garlic cloves to each foil packet, drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil, add salt and pepper to your liking
4. Drizzle 1 Tbsp from pesto on each packet of cauliflower, reserve remainder for garnishing grilled cauliflower
5. Enclose all contents in foil packet and shake to mix ingredients
6. Grill on medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes (or until cauliflower is tender)

Grilled Chicken:

Marinade:

• 1 cup Bertolli balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Bertolli Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ tsp salt (iodized salt works best for marinades)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp Oregano
• 2 tsp garlic powder

Marinate chicken for 4-5 hours. Grill on each side for 7-8 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle.

He and She Tip: We prepare our chicken in advance during food prep and then just make the cauliflower as our side dish when we are ready to eat! Super simple!

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