Honey Butter Roasted Chicken with Lemon is a moist delicious impressive way to serve a whole chicken to the family. Clean, gluten free, grain free, dairy free and paleo and only 8 minutes to prepare.
When I was at the grocery store I asked the butcher for an organic whole chicken. Â He asked if I wanted a fryer or roaster. Â I asked him what is the difference? Â He said the size of the chicken, that chickens keep growing and getting bigger and bigger like people and they kill them when they are different sizes. Â What? Â I kind of got the gist of what he was saying, but what?
So I did a little research. Â Fryers are chickens that are killed when they are 6 to 8 weeks old and weighing 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds
Roasters are chickens that are killed less than 8 months old and weighing 3 1/2 to 5 pounds. Because the fryer is a younger bird the meat is tender and best cooked with high heat, making it the ideal bird to cut up or butterfly for the grill, broiler, sauté pan, or frying pan. A roaster has a thicker layer of fat, which helps baste the bird as it roasts making it slightly tougher, more flavorful meat that benefits from the slower cooking of roasting, braising, and Âstewing.
This is a great clean recipe to serve to your family. I used MELT organic butter alternative in this recipe that is the perfect alternative to keep your recipes dairy free without sacrificing flavor.  Melt tastes delicious on your morning toast, but it also melts, bakes, and sautés, just like butter so it worked perfect with this Honey Butter Roasted Chicken Recipe. MELT is made from the Perfect Blend of fruit- and plant-based organic oils: virgin coconut, flaxseed, hi-oleic sunflower, palm fruit, and canola. It bakes, sizzles, drizzles, and melts just like butter, but with half the saturated fat and fewer calories.   No worries Melt is certified organic, kosher pareve, and Non GMO (Non GMO Project Verified). Plus MELT Organic uses only Fair Trade Fair For Life certified organic virgin coconut oil and Rainforest Alliance certified organic palm fruit oil.
I found MELT at my local Whole Foods, click this link (here) to see where it is available in your area.
P.S- they have a chocolate flavored MELT organic. OMG!
Honey Butter Roasted Chicken with Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 2 1/2-3 pound whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon room temperature Melt or unsalted grass fed butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange a rack inside a large roasting pan and set aside.
- Blend salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Season the chicken both inside and out with the sea salt and black pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine the honey, lemon zest, juice and MELT or butter.
- Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan breast side up and place half of lemon in cavity.
- Roast chicken until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
- Remove and using a pastry brush, brush half of the honey mixture over the chicken, as well as sprinkling the thyme over the chicken and return the chicken to the oven. Continue to cook another 30 minutes.
- Remove and brush remaining honey mixture over chicken and bake an additional 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees F.
- Remove and let rest for a minimum of 15 minutes before carving.
Categories:
You might also like:
MELT® Organic is a line of luscious, organic spreads made from healthy oils for butter lovers seeking a much healthier alternative, available in Rich & Creamy (original), Honey, and NEW Chocolate.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of MELT Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.