Savory Citrus and Herb Roasted Chicken
Pep up roasted chicken with this super simple and delicious homemade rub.
We love a good roasted chicken for several reasons: it’s pretty simple to make and goes well with just about anything on the side. And at this time of year, anything that warms up the kitchen and smells delicious is A-Ok with us! Roasted chicken is a great one-dish recipe too; throw in onion, carrots, or red-potatoes and voilá! Dinner really comes together quickly when everything goes together in one dish. Roasting brings out great flavor, but we like to add another layer of flavor by using our own blend of herbs and spices to really pep up this weeknight dinner.
A store bought rub offers convenience and doesn’t require keeping a ton of different herbs in your own pantry, but when we can, we love to make our own spice rubs for meats. Homemade rubs add a layer of freshness to any dish and are super simple to put together with just a few herbs from the spice drawer. We especially love a good citrus rub – which is what we did here – since it’s a great way to add a little zippy-ness to poultry or fish. The best part about this rub is how easy it is to customize- our family’s tastes differ on any given night, so that fact that it can be a little saltier, a little more citrus-y, or even a little spicier is a big plus. If you haven’t tried making your own rub before, we highly recommend giving it a try, since this meal turns out perfectly because of it!
Savory Citrus and Herb Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- Rub:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 orange, juiced
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (or fresh cracked black pepper)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (add more or less to taste)
- Chicken:
- 8 pieces of chicken (combination of leg, breast, and/or drumsticks), with skin
- 1 lime, quartered
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 onion, cut into 8 sections
- 2-3 bay leaves
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
- Whisk together all of the rub ingredients (olive oil, garlic, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, orange juice and zest, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper) until fully incorporated.
- Use orange slices to line bottom of baking dish.
- Pat chicken pieces with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Generously apply rub to chicken. Place chicken pieces on top of orange slices and pour any extra rub mixture over top of chicken.
- Place lime and onion sections in between pieces of chicken, add bay leaves. Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until chicken juices run clear.
Recipe adapted from The Comfort of Cooking