Umami Roast Chicken is a super simple and delicious Whole30 dish that uses my Magic Mushroom Powder. It’s a fool-proof weeknight chicken supper!
Have you tasted the power of my Magic Mushroom Powder yet? This (totally non-hallucinogenic) seasoning salt is one of my favorite flavor boosters—period. You can totally make it yourself—or save yourself the time and mess by buying some at your friendly neighborhood Whole Foods Market. Right now—January 2018—these umami-packed tins of Magic Mushroom Powder are available at the butcher counter at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide! Dude—STOCK UP BEFORE THEY SELL OUT! (p.s. My sister found some in the Asian food section in Fort Lauderdale, so ask a store employee if you can’t find it.)
I use a sprinkle of Magic Mushroom Powder in place of salt in almost all of my savory recipes. The pulverized porcini mushrooms add an indescribable deliciousness to every dish you dust it with. Case in point: this crazy-simple Umami Roast Chicken!
This recipe uses plain coconut yogurt, and some of my favorite brands include Anita’s Coconut Yogurt and Coyo. For those of you who are doing a Whole30 and worried about whether coconut yogurt is a compliant ingredient, I got you covered: I checked with the Whole30 headmistress herself, Melissa Hartwig, to ask if plain coconut yogurt with no junky ingredients (like the brands I listed above) is Whole30-compliant if used in a recipe like this one. Her answer?
Coconut yogurt is a pretty new product, and I’m treating it like nut cheeses. Technically compliant in any context—as long as the ingredients are compliant, of course. I’d really prefer it if people didn’t turn it into a breakfast bowl with dried fruit and coconut… but even that’s not against the RULES, just against my RECOMMENDATIONS. In the context you are describing, totally fine for the Whole30.
So don’t worry—you can totally make this nomtastic recipe on your Whole30! (You can do it even if you can’t find plain coconut yogurt anywhere: just use full fat coconut milk + lemon juice!)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup plain coconut yogurt (or use ½ cup full fat coconut milk + 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
- 2½ teaspoons Magic Mushroom Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Equipment:
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Large bowl
- Garlic press
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Stainless steel wire rack
- Instant-read meat thermometer
Method:
In a large bowl, combine the coconut yogurt, Magic Mushroom Powder, fish sauce, and garlic.
Mix it all together.
Toss in the chicken thighs and mix until well coated. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to a day.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat the oven to 400°F convection or 425°F conventional with the rack in the middle position. Shake off the excess marinade and arrange the chicken, skin-side down, on a stainless steel wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the chicken for 45 minutes…
…rotating the tray and flipping the thighs skin-side up at the halfway point.
The thighs are done when the skin is browned and the internal temperature of the chicken in the thickest part is at least 165°F.
Enjoy!
Watch the replay of me cooking this dish on Facebook Live (recorded on 9/19/2018):
A note to my Nomsters: This is one of a series of daily blog posts I’m writing in the month of January 2018 to help those doing a Whole30 to kick off the New Year. Not sure what the Whole30 is, or want info on how to get started? Read my Whole30 prep post—and then come back to Nom Nom Paleo every single day for recipes to inspire, delight, and sustain you on your Whole30!
And remember: Throughout January 2018, I’m partnering with Whole Foods Market nationwide! In all Whole Foods Market stores, you’ll find my personally curated Nom Nom Paleo Picks on the shelves, a rotating menu of ready-to-eat Nom Nom Paleo dishes in the hot bar, and even my famous Magic Mushroom Powder available for sale!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Umami Chicken
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup plain coconut yogurt or use ½ cup full fat coconut milk + 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2½ teaspoons Magic Mushroom Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 6 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut yogurt, Magic Mushroom Powder, fish sauce, and garlic. Mix it all together.
- Toss in the chicken thighs and mix until well coated. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to a day.
- When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat the oven to 400°F convection or 425°F conventional with the rack in the middle position. Shake off the excess marinade and arrange the chicken, skin-side down, on a stainless steel wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast the chicken for 45 minutes, rotating the tray and flipping the thighs skin-side up at the halfway point.
- The thighs are done when the skin is browned and the internal temperature of the chicken in the thickest part is at least 165°F.
Notes
- Note about the plain coconut yogurt: Some of the brands I like include Anita’s Coconut Yogurt, Living Cultures Super Food, and Coyo. No coconut yogurt? No prob! Just use full fat coconut milk + lemon juice!
- If you use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, decrease the total cooking time to 30 minutes or cook until the final internal cooking temperature is 165°F.
- If you're using chicken breasts, make sure you don't over cook them! Cook until the final cooking temperature is 150°F and not too much higher!
