Spicy Citrus Roast Chicken
This recipe looks daunting - lots of ingredients - but in reality almost all of them go into a blender and are blitzed up into a spicy zippy zingy tangy marinade. The chicken is tender because it is basted frequently, but crispy on top as the sugar in the citrus caramelizes the skin. All in all this is a massively impressive, mostly hands off dish that I plan to serve alongside a bright salad all summer long.
Spicy Citrus Roast Chicken
Yield: Feeds 6
A zesty, spicy chicken that looks very impressive - but is mostly very hands off - as is the Orderves way!
Time
- Prep: 10 min + 4-24 hours marinating time
- Cook: 1 hour
- Total: 1 hour 10 mins + marinating time
Ingredients
- 3 oranges
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 3 limes, juiced and zested
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 6-8 cloves of garlic
- 1TB + 1tsp cumin
- ¼ cup fresh oregano – just tear a fistful off the bunch and it’ll be great
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ TB salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 whole chicken, cut up into pieces (you could also buy a pack of 2 x breasts and drums and a pack of 4 x thighs – just mix and match with bits you like up to about 4/5lbs)
- 1 red onion
- 3-4 jalapeños
- Special equipment: blender or food processor
Recipe
- Make the marinade: zest and juice ONE of the oranges and put in a blender/ food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients through the olive oil. Blend furiously! Pour over chicken and leave to marinate as long as you humanly can (min 4 hours, overnight is best)
- Preheat oven to 375. Pour away the marinade, reserving about one cup justtttt in case you want it later. Arrange chicken skin side up across 2 roasting dishes with space between each piece. Roughly chop up the two remaining oranges, the red onion and the jalapeños and arrange them between the pieces of chicken.
- Roast in the middle of the oven for approx 1 hour, basting every 20 mins and using a little of the marinade to baste if the pan seems dry. I would start checking it at 45 mins (or last baste). Chicken will be done when juices run clear and internal temperature registers 165. If chicken is done but not brown enough on top, move to the top shelf of the oven and broil for a couple of mins to crisp the skin. If chicken is getting too brown but not cooked through, cover it loosely with foil for the remaining cook time – char is good though remember! Serve with a nice salad.