Roasting a whole chicken is one of those cooking feats that only seems difficult — and it’s a great skill to have in your home cooking arsenal. In an effort to save you a little time throughout the week, we set out to show that you can create three impressive, delicious meals suitable for various diets by simply perfecting the process of roasting one organic, pasture-raised Thrive Market whole chicken.
Start the week off with a Whole 30®-approved spinach artichoke chicken dip, prep a paleo roast chicken with winter squash for dinner, then finish things off with a keto avocado chicken salad to use the whole bird in three healthy ways. You’ll be amazed at how far one roast chicken can go!
How to Roast a Whole Chicken
If you’ve never tried to roast a whole chicken before, here’s a simple, straightforward way to do it in a cast iron skillet:
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. Place a cast iron skillet on a low rack.
- Remove chicken from packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Drizzle with oil of your choice (try olive or avocado) and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, including inside the cavity.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and place chicken inside, breast side up. Roast for 15 minutes.
- Lower heat to 350°F and cook until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, about 40 to 45 minutes. To ensure a golden skin, carefully rotate the skillet a few times during cooking.
- Remove chicken to a cutting board, allowing any juices from the chicken to drip back into the pan. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before carving.
Learn More About Our New Thrive Market Organic Chicken
Thrive Market partnered with a family-owned farm in California that produces only GAP Animal Welfare Certified chicken to source our pasture-raised birds. The whole process is fully integrated and prioritizes ethical treatment of the animals, with full transparency from the feedmill to the hatchery and processing plant. Chickens are offered space to roam and fed a fully vegetarian diet that is void of any antibiotics, added hormones, or chemical stimulators.
This premium treatment also ensures a juicier, more flavorful bird. Though these chickens come frozen, they taste just as good as fresh thanks to a unique air-chilled processing method. The industry standard for chilling chicken is through a process called ‘water immersion’, which involves freezing the chicken in water; unfortunately, this process also requires the use of chlorine and other chemicals to ward off dirt and animal waste. Air-chilled frozen chickens have a fresher taste that makes your meals taste better too.
“I’m extremely proud to be bringing such an amazing program forward,” says Mike Hacga, Product Innovation Lead for our meat and seafood programs at Thrive Market. “This new chicken program is progressive in all areas regarding both animal welfare and production methods. It’s not only animal welfare certified and organic, but also air-chilled, so you have the highest level of product quality and animal welfare available.”
Prep One Chicken and Serve It Three Ways with These Whole30®, Keto, and Paleo Recipes
Ready to get started prepping three full meals-for-two using just one of our new Thrive Market whole organic chickens? From the legs to the breasts, we’ll show you how to use every part of the bird to create three healthy recipes.
Whole30® Chicken Spinach Artichoke Dip
This easy Whole30® recipe is a perfect alternative to the game day favorite. It may taste indulgent, but it’s completely dairy-free!
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 shredded chicken breast, from one roasted Thrive Market Pasture-Raised Whole Chicken
2 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Ghee
1 large shallot, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups raw spinach
1 can artichoke hearts (pack in water, not oil or vinegar)
1/3 cup Whole 30®-approved vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo (or another Whole 30®-approved mayo)
1/2 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Paprika
2 tablespoon minced fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Heat oven to 425°F. Liberally oil a casserole dish or other oven safe dish.
In a large saute pan, add ghee and heat to medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and sweat until translucent and aromatic.
Add spinach and artichoke hearts, and saute until spinach is wilted.
Stir spinach and artichoke mixture together with the cream cheese, shredded chicken, mayo, paprika, and parsley.
Season to taste with salt.
Pour into a casserole dish and pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes until bubbly and golden brown at the edges.
Serve with crudites or Whole30®-approved chips.
Paleo Roast Chicken with Apple Salsa and Maple Glazed Winter Squash
This comforting and autumnal paleo chicken recipe is filled with nutrient-dense whole foods.
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
2 legs and 2 thighs, from one roasted Thrive Market Pasture-Raised Whole Chicken
1 small kabocha squash, acorn squash, red kuri, or butternut squash (your choice!)
2 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Robust Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Dijon Mustard
1 apple, peeled and diced (we recommend Fuji or Gala, as they’re juicy and sweet)
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds
1 red fresno chile, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced tarragon
1 teaspoon fresh minced parsley
Salt, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375° F. If you have a convection oven, turn on the fan as well.
Peel your squash of choice and chop into uniform pieces (the smaller the pieces, the faster they’ll cook). Rub squash evenly with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss with salt to evenly season all pieces.
Scatter squash on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for 25 minutes for small pieces and up to an hour for larger chunks. Remove when the squash is easily pierced with a fork.
In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup and dijon together, and then brush over all the squash. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes, then remove and set aside.
To make the salsa:
In a bowl, mix together diced apple with the vinegar and lemon juice and toss to coat (this will prevent the apple from discoloring, as well as adding bright flavor).
Add in diced red onion, pepitas, chile, herbs, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste. Set aside.
Carve the chicken leg or thigh off the roasted whole chicken and place on the serving plate. Pile some roasted squash on the side, and spoon the salsa liberally over top of the chicken. Enjoy!
Keto Chicken Avocado Salad with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette
Whether you’re already keto or just trying it out, this flavorful keto chicken recipe will show you how tasty this low-carb diet can be. The dressing will keep in the fridge for a week (and any leftover dressing tastes delicious served over salmon or cod).
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour to 24 hours
Ingredients
1 chicken breast carved and sliced from Thrive Market Pasture-Raised Whole Chicken
1 shallot, minced
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup Thrive Market Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 head butter lettuce
1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cherry tomatoes, halved
6-7 Castelvetrano olives, halved
1 whole avocado
2 teaspoon Thrive Market Regeneratively Grown Organic Hemp Seeds
Instructions
In a small bowl, add the minced shallot, and pour over the lemon juice. Allow the shallot to sit in the lemon juice for at least one hour (or overnight), to macerate.
Strain the shallots out of the liquid, but be sure to save the liquid. Whisk the lemon juice with the olive oil until emulsified, then season with salt. Stir the shallots back into the mixture. Set dressing aside.
In a large bowl, toss lettuce, sliced cucumbers, and tomatoes with a few spoons full of dressing (make sure to get lots of the flavorful shallots!) Arrange in two large shallow serving bowls.
Top each salad with equal portions of the sliced chicken and olives. Place one half of a sliced, salted avocado on each.
Finally, sprinkle hemp seeds over the whole dish and enjoy!
