Blood Orange Roast Chicken

Prepared with a blood orange and thyme brine, this crispy-skinned chicken is simply delicious with an easy pan sauce.

This recipe comes with great urgency because 1) blood oranges are back in season 2) the world doesn’t have enough roast chicken recipes, but perhaps more likely 3) you might be hungry right now or considering dinner plans. Here we have a dry brined roasted chicken, the resulting pan sauce, and a sidekick of roasted blood oranges. Serve with wild rice, farrow, or salad greens.

I’m all about brining chicken these days and this dry brine recipe using salt, garlic, blood orange zest, thyme and black pepper is too enthralling not to share. You can begin brining the chicken up to 3 days before roasting, but even a few hours will do wonders for crisping up the skin, packing flavor into the bird and sealing in the juices.

A roasted chicken inevitably means delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze them into a quick white wine and shallot pan sauce to serve with the chicken. Be sure to slice up a few extra blood oranges for roasting as well. Give them a sprinkle of salt and drizzle of olive oil, roast, then garnish with fresh thyme to accompany the chicken and pan sauce.

Blood Orange Roast Chicken

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Mallory Leicht
• Total Time: 95 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
• Diet: Omnivore

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Description

A juicy roast chicken, brined in blood orange and thyme, with a bright pan sauce. Perfect for a special dinner!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4-5 lbs (1814-2268 g) whole chicken
• 3 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp blood orange zest
• 2 tbsp thyme leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter
• 1 blood orange
• 2 blood oranges
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
• 2 sprigs thyme
• pan drippings from roast chicken
• 1/4 cups (59 ml) chopped shallots
• 1/4 cups (59 ml) white wine
• 1/2 cups (118 ml) chicken stock
• 1-1 1/2 oz (28-42 g) blood orange juice
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) thyme leaves

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Instructions

1. Stir together salt, black pepper, blood orange zest, thyme leaves, and chopped garlic in a small bowl. Chop the mixture with a knife until it has a sand-like texture, or pulse in a food processor.
2. Rinse the chicken, remove innards, and pat dry. Season liberally with the brine. Place in a shallow roasting pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
3. Preheat oven to 475°F (235°C). Remove chicken from refrigerator and transfer to an oven-proof skillet or shallow roasting pan.
4. Stuff the chicken cavity with unsalted butter and blood orange quarters.
5. Roast the chicken until a thermometer inserted into the inner thigh reads 175°F (79°C), about 1 hour. Remove and let rest before carving.
6. Roasted Blood Oranges with Thyme
7. Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Place quartered blood oranges on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with oil. Roast for 15 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with thyme.
8. White Wine, Shallot and Thyme Pan Sauce
9. Pour out clear fat from the roasting pan, leaving about 2 tablespoons of drippings. Bring to medium heat on the stovetop.
10. Add shallots and sauté, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, or until translucent.
11. Deglaze with white wine, scraping up browned bits. Stir in chicken stock, blood orange juice, and thyme.
12. Cook and stir until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Season as needed.

Notes

• For optimal flavor, brine the chicken for at least 4 hours; longer brining times (up to 3 days) result in a more intensely flavored chicken.
• If blood oranges are unavailable, substitute with regular oranges, but the flavor profile will be less vibrant.
• To make ahead, prepare the pan sauce components separately and combine just before serving. Reheat gently.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 75 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Roasting
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 10
• Sodium: 600
• Fat: 25
• Saturated Fat: 15
• Unsaturated Fat: 8
• Carbohydrates: 20
• Fiber: 3
• Protein: 40
• Cholesterol: 150

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