1. Stir together in a small bowl salt, black pepper, blood orange zest, thyme leaves, and chopped garlic. Spread the mixture onto a cutting board and use a knife to chop and further blend the brine together until it takes on a sand-like texture. Alternatively, pulse the ingredients together in a food processor.
2. Rinse the chicken, remove any innards and pat dry. Season the chicken liberally with the brine. Place the chicken in a shallow roasting pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let brine in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but up to 3 days.
3. When ready to roast the chicken, preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit and remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Transfer the chicken to an oven proof skillet or shallow roasting pan just larger than the chicken. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the unsalted butter and quarters of blood orange.
4. Roast the chicken until a thermometer inserted into the inner thigh reads 175 degrees, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken and set on a cutting board to rest before carving. Carefully remove the blood oranges from the chicken to use in the pan sauce. While the chicken is resting, make the roasted blood oranges w/ thyme and the pan sauce.

Roasted Blood Oranges with Thyme

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place quartered blood oranges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Give them a sprinkle or sea salt and drizzle of oil oil. Roast for 15 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with thyme.

White Wine, Shallot & Thyme Pan Sauce

1. Once you’ve roasted the chicken, transferred it to a separate dish and are left with the delicious browned bits in the skillet or pan, pour out the clear fat except about 2 tablespoons, making sure to leave the drippings in the skillet. Bring to medium heat on the stovetop, add shallots and sauté, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Deglaze with the white wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits stuck to the skillet.
2. Stir in the chicken stock, blood orange juice and thyme. Cook and stir frequently until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Season as needed.