Perfect Roast Chicken (and Paleo Mayo)

I don't remember how I learned to roast a chicken, but it is by far one of my favorite and most common meals. It always turns out juicy and crispy, and at around $10.00 for a fairly large free-range bird, it is a bargain. (You can also use the same herbs and spices for chicken parts, thighs are inexpensive and one of our favorites!!)

Perfect Roast Chicken

1 large chicken
2 T. butter (or olive oil if you don't do dairy)
1 T. mixed dried herbs (I use oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram)
Salt and pepper
I large handful fresh thyme chopped
1 small onion chopped
3 garlic cloves

Rinse and pat dry chicken, then place it in a roasting pan, meanwhile, melt the butter and mix with dried herbs. Salt and pepper the inside and outside of the bird, and stuff the cavity with the onion and garlic, leaving the giblets, etc, in the cavity as well. Brush the herb butter mixture over the entire bird, and sprinkle the top with the fresh thyme. Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes per pound. (Chicken should be done if you prick the meaty thigh area with a fork and the juices run clear.) Slice up and serve with pan juices!

One of the best things to do with leftover chicken is make chicken salad! I figured here would be as good a place as any to post my mayo recipe:

Paleo Mayo
Here is the recipe for my Paleo Mayo. It is adapted from Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet. As always, I changed a few things...

The reason it is usually acceptable to use vegetable oils like this in a Paleo diet by the way isn't because they used olive oil in the Paleolithic age, but rather because most of the meat and fat available to our Paleolithic ancestors probably was higher in monounsaturated fats with higher ratios of Omega-3 fatty acids. So, in order to keep the fats balanced properly, most Paleo diets recommend lean meats and monounsaturated oils to supplement them. The Paleo diet is generally quite high fat, but low in saturated fat.

I am not too concerned if my diet is heavier in saturated fat, but I like my mayo once in a while!

Sara's Paleo Mayonnaise
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup organic cold pressed olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. mixed pepper
1/4 tsp. dry mustard

Place the egg, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice and vinegar in the blender. Turn on the motor and add the oil in a slow, thin stream. Refrigerate.Takes about 5 minutes to make, as you can see--very easy.