Whole roasted chickens… It’s usually a weekend recipe right? Most roasted chicken recipes take almost 2 hours to make and doing that on a weeknight…. well… Nobodies Got Time For Dat! Oh, but now you do! The Hubs and I discovered a secret a few years ago that allows us to cook whole roasted chickens any day of the week– all you have to do is butterfly the chicken before you cook it!
Have you ever cooked a butterflied chicken? It cooks in a fraction of the time, making this a perfect “Any Night Of The Week Recipe!”
We have started buying a few chickens at a time, butterflying them and then freezing the chicken butterflied. They thaw faster this way and then they are all ready to cook once they thaw.
Ready to find out how you can have a weekend type meal on a weeknight?
Balsamic Roasted Butterflied Chicken Recipe With Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 2-3 Medium Sized Sweet Potatoes
- Kosher Salt
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (2 for the sweet potatoes 2 for the chicken)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped (we prefer fresh rosemary from our rosemary plant)
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley (again we use fresh whenever possible but dried is ok if it’s what you have available)
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 500F.
Step 1: Butterfly Your Chicken. This might feel weird the first time you do it, but after a couple of chickens you will be a pro. Here is a great recipe that shows you how to do it. Make sure to save the back bone for chicken stock!
Step 2: Peel and chop your sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Put them into a cast iron frying pan or a pan that you will use for roasting your chicken. If not using cast iron coat with cooking spray or oil.
Step 3: Melt 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, drizzle over sweet potatoes sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt on top and toss until sweet potatoes are well coated.
Step 4: Rinse chicken in water, pat dry and then place breast side up, wingtips tucked, on top of the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle chicken with kosher salt.
Step 5: In a small bowl combine balsamic, chicken stock, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, rosemary and parsley. Stir until brown sugar dissolves.
Step 6: Baste chicken with balsamic sauce and put into oven on the center rack at 500F for 15 minutes.
Step 7: Reduce heat of oven to 400F, baste chicken with remaining balsamic sauce and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes or until thermometer inserted into thigh reads 165F.
Step 8: Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes and then carve and serve.
Enjoy!
Tell me… Do you usually eat roasted chicken during the week or is it usually reserved as a weekend meal? Questions about the recipe? Ask away!
Super Mom - No Cape! says
This looks delicious. Hubby and I will have to try butterflying our whole chickens before we freeze them. Great idea!
Anne Taylor says
Omgosh this looks good! Roasting chickens makes your house smell so good too! Thanks, I’ve never done a chicken this way!
Sherol says
Looks good will try this this week. Always looking for different.
Lori Morton says
Oooh my goodness!! Looks yummy!! Definitely neeeeed this recipe!! lol Know the family will loooove!!! Thank you!! 🙂