This whole orange oven roast chicken recipe is so easy to prepare, you will be done in no time! The chicken is roasted with orange and thyme, giving it a delicious citrus and herb flavor. This is a healthy recipe as it involves baking the chicken instead of frying it. Great for Sunday lunches or busy weeknight dinners.
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I particularly love oven roast meals as they enable me to have some time to do something else, whilst the food is roasting away. It is the perfect chicken recipe for whatever time of the year as you only need your oven to make it (no need to get your outdoor grill in winter)!
ingredients
This is a quick summary of the ingredients and method, for those who prefer to read about the recipe in the post. A printable recipe card is provided at the end of this post.
- 2 kg whole chicken approx. 4.5lbs
- zest and juice of one orange
- ½ cup butter ( use clarified butter for paleo)
- 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt to taste more if preferred
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 sprigs thyme
how to make whole orange roast chicken
I did cut up the chicken in the middle (without necessarily removing the backbone/ butterfly-ing it) to make it bake quicker. The result is that it ended up being super juicy and totally delicious.
Here are the recipe steps:-
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C or about 425 degrees F.
- Wash and pat the chicken dry. Trim-off excess fat.In a bowl mix the clarified butter, Chinese-5 spice, garlic, orange zest, orange juice, salt, pepper, thyme leaves and paprika. This butter mixture is known as compound butter.
- Place the chicken on a chopping board with the breast side down and the legs facing you. Use a great pair of kitchen scissors or poultry shears to cut up along one side of the backbone, cutting through the rib bones as you go. Open the chicken out then turn it over. Then flatten the breastbone with the heel of your hand, trying to have the meat have the same thickness.
- Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper, flip so the breast side faces up then season with salt and pepper as well. Spread half of the clarified butter mixture (compound butter) on top of the chicken and the rest in between the skin of the chicken.
- Place the chicken on a baking tray. You could lay vegetables on the tray if you like. I used potatoes for this recipe. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180 C.Continue to roast for another 25 minutes or until it registers between 165 F to 170 F on an instant-read thermometer inserted on the thickest part of the thighs.
- Allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving it. Serve with rice dishes, cauliflower mash, regular mashed potatoes, green beans or a side of your choice, and you have the perfect comfort food!
useful tips from my Kitchen
To make it bake quicker without necessarily removing the backbone as you would in a spatchcock or butterfly chicken:-
- Place the chicken on a chopping board with the breast side down and the legs facing you.
- Use a great pair of kitchen scissors or poultry shears to cut up along one side of the backbone, cutting through the rib bones as you go.
- Open the chicken out then turn it over. Then flatten the breastbone with the heel of your hand, trying to have the meat have the same thickness.
more tasty paleo and low carb recipes
Interested in other recipes? Then I definitely recommend you try these ones!!
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Whole Orange Roast Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 kg whole chicken approx. 4.5lbs
- zest and juice of one orange
- ½ cup butter ( use clarified butter for paleo)
- 1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste more if preferred
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 sprigs thyme
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees C or about 425 degrees F.
- Wash and pat the chicken dry. Trim-off excess fat.In a bowl mix the clarified butter, Chinese-5 spice, garlic, orange zest, orange juice, salt, pepper, thyme leaves and paprika. This butter mixture is known as compound butter.
- Place the chicken on a chopping board with the breast side down and the legs facing you. Use a great pair of kitchen scissors or poultry shears to cut up along one side of the backbone, cutting through the rib bones as you go. Open the chicken out, turn it over, then flatten the breastbone with the heel of your hand, trying to have the meat have the same thickness.
- Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper, flip so the breast side faces up then season with salt and pepper as well. Spread half of the clarified butter mixture (compound butter) on top of the chicken and the rest in between the skin of the chicken.
- Place the chicken on a the baking tray. You could lay vegetables on the tray if you like. I used potatoes for this recipe. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180 C.Continue to roast for another 25 minutes or until it registers between 165 F to 170 F on an instant read thermometer inserted on the thickest part of the thighs.
- Allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving it. Serve the orange roast chicken with rice dishes, cauliflower mash or regular mashed potatoes, or some side salad.