Orange Roasted Chicken
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 whole chicken, 4-5 lbs, rinsed and patted dry.
  • 4 oranges, cut into 1” slices
  • 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, pulp strained out
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tbl olive oil + more for pan
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove all oven racks except for one, and put it in the lowest position.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, honey, cumin, red pepper flakes and paprika. Set aside.
  3. Put half the onion, 2 sprigs thyme, and garlic cloves inside the cavity of the chicken. Tie the feet together with kitchen twine.
  4. Rub the inside of a 10” cast iron skillet with butter or olive oil.
  5. Place remaining orange pieces, onions, and thyme sprigs in the skillet.
  6. Place chicken in skillet on top of orange and onion pieces.
  7. Rub chicken with 2 tbl olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  8. Pour the orange juice mixture over the chicken.
  9. In the center of a standard size jelly roll pan, lay 4 pieces of aluminum foil, each about 20 inches With all the ends touching, two lengthwise, and two crosswise, place the skillet on the intersection of all the ends of the foil.
  10. Lift up all the pieces of foil to make a wall around the skillet. Only lift them up straight, don't pull them together at the top. You want air to be able to get in the top.
  11. These walls will prevent fat and juice from splattering the inside of your oven.
  12. Bake for 10 minutes, and then pour the liquid over the chicken by collecting excess juices in a baster and squirting it on the breasts and thighs. Do this every 10 minutes until it's been 60 minutes.
  13. After 60 minutes, connect the foil at the top so it's completely closed and put back in the oven for 20 minutes.
  14. Check temperature. If the temperature has reached 160 degrees when a thermometer is inserted in the thickest part of the thigh, take it out, but if it's not, baste it one more time, and continue to cook with the foil closed over it and check every 10 minutes until it reaches 160 degrees and juices run clear in the thigh.
  15. Once you take it out of the oven, let it rest, covered for 10 minutes before cutting.
Recipe by Lou Lou Biscuit at http://www.louloubiscuit.com/orange-thyme-roasted-chicken/