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Yesterday, I roasted my first whole chicken. It was awesome; not only did I get a ton of delicious meat from it, I also used the bones to make stock, and the giblets to make fried rice (a recipe I borrowed from Alex, but his is WAY better).
I don’t know how I’ve gone 23 years without roasting a whole chicken. I’ve roasted chicken pieces, a cornish game hen, and even a whole turkey (with the help of others), but not a whole chicken. Despite my lack of experience with it, my roast came out amazing! Per request, I’m posting my original recipe, as well as the recipe for the pictured roasted sweet potatoes and carrots.
Ginger and Garlic Stuffed Roast Chicken with Spice Rub and Spicy Blood Orange, Honey, Soy Glaze- 4(-/+) lb organic chicken
- knob of ginger, as long as your thumb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 6 cloves of fresh garlic
For the Spice Rub
- 2 Tbsp ginger powder
- 2 Tbsp white pepper
- 2 Tbsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
For the Glaze
- 4 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp sambal olek
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- 3 Thai bird chiles, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- juice of 1 blood orange
- juice of 1 Valencia orange
- Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
- Prepare chicken by emptying the cavity of its organs.
- Rinse with cold water, pat dry.
- Rub cavity with salt and pepper, and stuff with fresh ginger and garlic.
- Tie its legs together with kitchen twine.
- Rub entire chicken with olive oil, and cover it in spice rub.
- Place chicken into a baking pan/dish and stick it in the oven.
- After 40 minutes, if the chicken seems almost done (I check by sticking a knife into a thick part of the chicken, letting it heat up for a minute, and touching it to the my bottom lip to see how hot it is—if it’s close to done, the knife will be really hot, if it’s lukewarm, I need to let it cook for a little longer), brush the first layer of glaze on to the chicken.
- Allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes, then brush with glaze again. Be sure to check up on the chicken as to not let the honey burn.
- Take chicken out after 60 minutes of cooking time, and let rest for 15 minutes before tearin’ it up!
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots
Yields 3 fist-sized servings.
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 2 small carrots, chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- cinnamon, to taste
- cumin, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
- Spread cubed sweet potatoes and chopped carrots on to a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Drizzle on the olive oil.
- Sprinkle on the spices.
- Roast for 10-20 minutes. Check on them frequently—how long it takes to fully cook depends on how small/big the pieces are.
Since I like to eat heavily seasoned, meaty, and/or starchy foods with a healthy serving of lightly cooked and raw vegetables, I ate my chicken and roasted vegetables with blanched broccoli and green beans, and a handful of raw baby spinach. You can mix and match whatever you want with these dishes though!
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I made this delicious stir fry from left over ingredients (onion, ginger, ground pork, baby bok choy, spinach, beans sprouts, shrimp broth, and organic udon noodles) from a new batch of won ton soup last night. For the sauce, I mixed brown sugar, light soy sauce, and sesame oil to taste.
