Orange And Herb Chicken Recipes

ORANGE HERB ROASTED CHICKEN WITH POTATOES

Steps:

• Place cast iron skillet inside the oven while it preheats to 425 degrees. Rack should be in the upper third of your oven so that when you cook the chicken later it's getting plenty of direct heat to make it nice and golden on top.
• While oven is preheating rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Pierce holes in one orange with a fork and place inside cavity. Not only does this make for a great presentation but it also helps the bird cook evenly. Tie legs together with kitchen twine.
• On stove top or in the microwave melt 1/4 cup ghee or butter and combine with orange juice. Stir together.
• When the oven has reached 425 degrees carefully remove the skillet (use an oven mit so you don't touch the handle directly). Pour half of your melted butter/orange juice mixture into the hot skillet. (It will sizzle so be careful.) This will help prevent sticking.
• Place the chicken in the skillet breast side up. Tuck the tips of the wings under the bird. Drizzle the remaining half of the melted butter/orange juice all over your chicken. Generously salt and pepper the chicken. (I salt pretty liberally on the chicken because the salt is what really amplifies the flavors of orange and fresh herb!)
• Slice your potatoes into circles about 1/2 inch thick. Layer them around your chicken.
• Remove the leaves from your sprigs of thyme and rosemary. (Hold each sprig at the top and gently slide your finger down it to remove leaves.) Chop the rosemary leaves so they're smaller. (Thyme leaves are already very small.) Sprinkle both herbs on top of the chicken and potatoes.
• If you want to really make this dish gorgeous cut a thin circle from an orange and place on top of the chicken. Slice a few semicircles of orange and place them around the front of your chicken.
• Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. I typically get a chicken that's 4 1/2 pounds and it take the full hour and a half. If you insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken it should read 165 degrees.
• Let chicken rest at least 20 minutes before cutting.

ORANGE HERB ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Pour the chicken broth into a small roasting pan, and set aside.
• Loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs of the chicken. Stuff the butter pieces evenly underneath the skin of the chicken, and place into the roasting pan. Squeeze the orange halves over the chicken, and stuff the orange halves into the chicken cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then rub in the minced garlic. Drizzle the melted butter all over the chicken, then lay the herb sprigs onto the breast and around the legs.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and baste the chicken with the pan juices. Continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 1 to 2 hours. Baste the chicken every 10 to 15 minutes after you uncover it. Once cooked, allow the chicken to rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before slicing.