Masala Roasted Chicken
Back when we first moved to the States, my dad’s company would give every employee a Butterball turkey during Thanksgiving. As nice of a gesture as that was, turkey is not something we ever had encountered. We figured since it looked like a big chicken, we would prepare it the same way. My mom curried it and my dad tandoori’d it but alas, it couldn’t match chicken. Over time, as my sister and I became more American and wanted to adopt the “canonical” American ways of doing things, we started cooking the turkey with herbs, lemon, butter, white wine, and all the other, more traditional ways of making a turkey. We have made some killer traditional Thanksgiving turkeys but I have to admit that I still like a roasted chicken over a roasted turkey any day. But hey, don’t let me ruin your fun - it’s a day steeped in tradition and memories of growing up surrounded by people who love you, so go have your turkey, stuffing, and pies! If, however, you want to dabble in something different, well, you’ve come to the right food blog, my friend.
Roasting a chicken is one of my go-tos when hosting. If you get the first 15 mins right, the oven does all of the rest of the work. I’ve shared my recipe and some of my tips for roasting chickens on my previous Three Chile & Butter Roast Chicken post and all of those rules apply here as well. The difference here, of course, is the masala. I took the best-of Indian spice cabinet staples, mixed them together with butter, and slathered it all over the chicken. I put my chicken over a rack on the baking sheet so that a) the bottom can also get crispy and b) the drippings would fall over and season the sliced red onion underneath the rack. You will end up with sweet, mushy, deliciously perfumed red onions to accompany your chicken.
To reiterate, here again are the tips for a great roast chicken:
Use a spatchcocked or butterflied whole chicken - this increases the surface area that comes in contact with the heat, delivering more crispy skin. Your butcher can do this for you or you can use a good pair of kitchen scissors to cut out the backbone and flatten out the chicken. And bonus, you can save the backbone to make stock or a flavorful soup!
Season the chicken liberally - a whole chicken needs more salt than you think it does. Season both sides of the chicken well with salt and pepper.
Roast on a sheet pan or a pan without too high a lip - this, again, increases the surface area exposed to heat. If possible, lay a rack on top of the pan and place the chicken on the rack; this will also brown the bottom side.
Tuck some butter under the breast - as the breast is most likely to get dry, tucking some butter in will keep it moist. Plus, butter is delicious.
Tuck your seasoning under the skin - be it a chile rub or herbs, get some of that good stuff under the skin! Under the breast, in the leg quarters, and underneath the chicken itself.
Place some vegetables under the chicken - this perfumes the chicken from underneath and also creates a little height so that the chicken isn’t steaming in the juices it’s going to release. Onions work great. Lemons or fennel are also fantastic.
Rest the chicken - you’ve heard this a million times and it is true. Take it out of the oven, cover it in foil, and leave it alone for 15 minutes before you carve! This will help the juices settle and keep the chicken moist.
Carve it like Jamie Oliver does and save those juices to top your carved chicken with.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, 3.5-4 lbs
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 medium onion, cut into eights
4-6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 lemon, halved
salt and pepper to taste
Mint or cilantro leaves to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Layer the onions and garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place a baking rack on top of the onions and place the lemon halves face-down on the rack. Now, take your chicken and pat dry with a piece of paper towel. Season the inside cavity and outside with salt and place on top of the lemon halves.
While the chicken sits and comes to room temperature, prepare the butter and spice mixture. Melt the butter and mix in the cumin, coriander, curry powder, turmeric, paprika, garam masala, some more salt, and pepper. Now liberally slather this mixture on the chicken, making sure to get the mixture under the skin as well. The breast skin can break easily so do this carefully.
Place the chicken in the oven, with the breast facing you and the legs facing the inside the oven. Let roast for 45-60 mins, depending on the strength of your oven. Let the chicken rest for 15 mins, carve, and serve, garnished with fresh mint or cilantro!
