gluten-free | dairy-free
This roasted whole chicken is gluten-free and dairy-free—stuffed with garlic, lemon, onion, and fresh herbs, rubbed with dairy-free butter and a herb-spice blend, and roasted hot for crispy skin and juicy meat. GF rotisserie chicken is nearly impossible to find in stores, so roast your own: you control every ingredient and get three meals from one bird. Use real butter if you’re dairyful.
We love roasted chicken, both for its flavor and its versatility for multiple meals. With one roasted chicken, we typically get three different meals: the chicken itself, breast meat for a salad or two, and breast meat for chicken salad.
Being gluten-free, roasted chicken with the GF label is hard to find. Outside of Costco, I have yet to find a roasted chicken in the grocery store that proudly advertises GLUTEN-FREE or, for that matter, dairy-free. Occasionally, when we know we are going to eat the chicken that day and happen to be near Costco, we will buy one of their roasted chickens. They are good in a pinch but not something we regularly purchase. Instead, we roast our own.
There are many benefits to roasting your own chicken:
- You control the ingredients and can certify that everything is gluten-free
- The flavor is also under your complete control.
- It typically is more flavorful, tender, and juicy than store-bought roasted chickens
For this recipe, Rich loves to use a wide array of aromatics, herbs, and spices to add flavor to both the inside and outside of the chicken. Stuffing the chicken also ensures the meat will be tender and juicy. His high-temp cooking process makes the skin crispy and flavorful.
If you’re not sure about breaking down the chicken into pieces for serving, Rich shows you, step by step, how easy it is in the video.
And, of course, when there is roasted chicken in our house, there MUST be chicken salad. See the process in the video and find the full recipe below, under the roasted chicken recipe.
Now, go eat something amazing!
Gluten-Free Juicy Roasted Whole Chicken
Suggested Tools
The Ingredients
For the Inside of the Chicken
- 5 lb Chicken, Whole, 4-5 lbs will work
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 package fresh poultry blend herbs, rosemary, thyme, sage
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 1 lemon, quartered
For the Outside of the Chicken
- 2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread, melted
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp oregano, dried
- 2 tsp thyme, dried
- 2 tsp rosemary, dried
- 2 tsp smoked paprika, optional
The Process
Mise en Place
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Slice the onions and lemons, peel the garlic and set aside. Measure all the herbs, spices, salt and pepper into a small prep bowl and mix to combine. Add the Earth Balance to a prep bowl and melt in the microwave approximately 30 seconds or less.
Prepare the Inside of the Chicken
- Remove the chicken from its packaging and remove and discard any giblets. Thoroughly rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry, inside and out.
- Add the poultry blend to the inside of the chicken, resting it on the breast side. Alternate adding garlic, lemons, and onion until the chicken's cavity is full.
Prepare the Outside of the Chicken
- Tuck the wings under the body of the chicken. Using a pastry brush, spread the Earth Balance over the entire outside of the chicken making sure to get into all the crevices. Sprinkle the herb and spice blend over the chicken making sure to get it into all crevices. Using a squeeze bottle, distribute the olive oil over the chicken to moisten the herb and spice blend.
Into the Oven
- Carefully transfer the chicken to the roasting pan and place in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and baste the chicken. See the video for demonstration. Roast for another 30 minutes and then check the internal temperature of the chicken with a probe thermometer inserted into one of the thighs. The chicken is done roasting when it temps at 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the oven, cover loosely with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes or until the thigh temps at 170-175 degrees.
- Cut and serve the chicken. See video for a demonstration on how to break down the chicken into its parts.
Other Options
- For leftover chicken, slice and add to salads, tacos, or fajitas. Also, you can use the leftover chicken breast to make Chicken Salad (find recipe below).
Video
Nutrition
Gluten-Free Creamy Chicken Salad
The Ingredients
- 14 oz roasted chicken, breast or dark meat, or both
- 2 ribs celery, medium to fine dice
- 1/4 medium red onion, fine dice
- 1 tbsp parsley, fresh, fine chop, or use 1 tsp dried
- 1/4 tsp tarragon, fresh, fine chop, or use 1/2 tsp dried
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Simple Truth Plant Based Sour Cream
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- dash fish sauce, optional
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- splash lemon juice
The Process
- Slice the roasted chicken into small pieces and add to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Finely dice the celery and red onion, and finely chop the parsley and tarragon add to the bowl with the chicken. You may want to add more or less of the celery and red onion to suit your taste.
- In a small mixing bowl, measure and add the mayo, sour cream, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and fish sauce. Add the parsley and tarragon and mix to combine. Taste and season with kosher salt and pepper as desired.
- Add half of the sauce you just made to the chicken and mix to combine. Keep adding sauce until you have achieved the consistency you desire. You may or may not use all the sauce.
- Taste and add Kosher salt and pepper as desired. Squeeze a bit of lemon over the salad and mix to combine.
- Eat right out of the bowl, add to a salad, make a sandwich with your favorite gluten-free bread or serve with gluten-free crackers. See my favorite cracker in the equipment section.