Herb Stuffed Roast Chicken

The herbs in our garden are a little out of control right now. I always seem to have this “problem” this time of year and start contemplating ways to make use out of them. Should I dry and jar them? Learn how to make herb candles? Does the dog want rosemary for dinner? I kinda doubt it. So any chance to throw some fresh herbs in a meal, we take.

We really wanted to make this whole chicken that has been sitting in the freezer that came in our last ButcherBox order (If you have not tried ButcherBox, you should!) So when Kyle suggested it and said he would stuff some herbs in it, I thought: PERFECT! Now you can go trim some of the wild herb jungle and I can rest knowing they are put to good use, AND don’t have to take up a soap-making hobby for one more weekend.

Little did I know it was stuffed full of butter, too!

He stuffed multiple sprigs of sage, rosemary, and thyme between the skin and the breast of the (already cleaned and gutted) chicken. And turns out, Kyle also stuffed basically a whole stick of butter in it too! A little much in my opinion, but it was good… (of course it was good! It’s butter!) He then stuffed a few carrots and onions in the cavity of the chicken to keep the meat moist on the inside. For seasoning, we used our favorite poultry rub, Galena Street Chicken & Rib Rub from Penzey’s Spices  and then set the seasoned bird on a bed of white onions in our cast iron pan. Feel free to spread some red potatoes, more onion, and carrots in with the chicken to make it a complete meal.

It was hot outside, and we were working in the yard, so we turned on all the burners on the grill, and set the cast iron directly on the flame for about 20 minutes. We then turned off the burners directly underneath the pan, but left the others on, closed the grill so it worked like an oven, and left it on the grill until the chicken reached 165 degrees (almost two hours.) Every half hour or so while cooking, we would use a spoon to ladle some of the melted butter and seasoning on top of the chicken. Yummmm.

By the time our yard work was done and we were dirty and hungry, the chicken and veggies were done doing their thing on the grill. We finished off the meal by sauteing some of this impressive “dinosaur kale” we found at the farmer’s market in the same pan the chicken and veggies were roasted in. We threw in some green beans too.

This meal did not disappoint. It was like a summer/grill version of comfort food. And we freed up some space in the freezer plus some room in the herb garden. I love productive meals! 👌

P.S. Save the chicken leftovers for later to make a broth!

• Servings: 6
• Time: 3 hrs
• Difficulty: Medium
• Print

A delicious roast chicken stuffed with fresh herbs and served with assorted veggies. Made on the grill.

Ingredients

• 1 five lb chicken
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 4 sprigs oregano
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 white onion
• 6 red potatoes
• 8-10 small carrots
• Poultry Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive Oil

Directions

1. Slice a gap between the skin and breast of a clean, gutted chicken. Separate the skin from the breast all the way back to the back of the chicken then stuff with the herbs and butter.
2. For moisture’s sake, stuff about a 1/3 a white onion and a few of the small carrots inside the empty cavity of the chicken.
3. Place another 1/3 of the onion slices on the bottom of the cast iron pan. Lightly pour some olive oil over the onions. Place the herb stuffed chicken on top of the onions.
4. Place the potatoes, carrots, and remaining onions around the outside ring of the pan surrounding the chicken. Sprinkle the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper.
5. Sprinkle your poultry seasoning on the chicken.
6. Turn all burners on and set pan in center of grill.
7. After about 20 minutes, turn off the burners directly under the pan but leave the surrounding ones on. Every half an hour or so, ladle some of the butter and herb mixture over the chicken.
8. The chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees. Remove from the pan and let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing into it.
9. Serve with your choice of sauteed greens and ENJOY!