“It all depends upon how you massage your bird. Rub deep and make sure you get the herbs and spices under the skin. Then finish with a dollop, because your bird needs a little accessorizing to hit the ‘yum’ mark,” says Rebecca Katz, co-author of The Healthy Mind Cookbook.
Rebecca prefers organic or pasture-raised chickens. She says they’re vitamin rich and full of flavor.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 4½ to 5 pound chicken organic
- 1 teaspoon paprika ground
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric ground
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander ground
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin ground
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ginger fresh, grated plus 3 inches unpeeled fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 lemon halved
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- Everything Drizzle see recipe below
Everything Drizzle
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves fresh, tightly packed
- 2 tablespoons mint leaves fresh, tightly packed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup grade B
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
Servings:
Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Stir the paprika, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes together. Divide the mixture in half and stir 1 teaspoon of the salt into one half. Rub the salted spice mixture all over the outside of the chicken. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt inside the chicken.
- With your palm facing downward, use your first three fingers to gently lift the skin on both sides of the breast to loosen it from the meat. Rub the remaining spice mixture and the grated ginger under the skin of each side of the breast, massaging the seasonings lightly into the meat. Place the garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, and ginger pieces inside the cavity. Squeeze the lemon halves into the cavity, then insert the rinds.
- Place the chicken on a roasting rack in a glass or ceramic baking dish breast side up. Roast until a meat thermometer reads 160°F when inserted in the thigh and the juice from the meat runs clear, about 1 hour.
- Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Just before serving, pour 2 teaspoons of lemon juice all over the chicken and serve with My Everything Drizzle.
Everything Drizzle
- Combine the parsley, mint, lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, syrup, and oil in a food processor and process until well blended. For a thinner drizzle, add a tablespoon of water and briefly process again. Taste; you may want to add a pinch of salt.
Excellent! I love healthy cooking and trying out new recipes instead of traditional American style all the time.. I’ve made this twice. The first time was wonderful! The second time was more than wonderful. I found that doing the rub the day before enhanced the flavor 100%!
Really excited to try this tonight for my Pumpkin Spice Pre-fall party. I was looking for away to use cinnamon as a savory flavoring and keep it healthy since other people are bringing a lot of sugar items. I’m using Game hens… so it should be really interesting. Also, I accidently came across your site and we are both Middleton’s. YEAH! I’ll have to let you know how it turns out.
Thanks,
Jenni Middleton
Please do let us know how it turns out, and happy fall, Jenni!
I just put mine in the oven, I can’t wait to have dinner. I know it’s gonna be good 😊
Best Roasted Chicken I’ve have ever had, although I did roast the chicken on the grill, which I always do with a whole chicken
I made this chicken for our thanksgiving dinner this year. It was a hit. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Best roast chicken we’ve ever had – family absolutely delighted with it. I’d never done the seasoning under skin technique before (your instructions on this were great). I also cooked in a ceramic instead of metal tin – is this what made it so juicy? Thanks for the recipe!