Roasting chicken is one of the best ways to showcase the poultry and enhance its flavor. It doesn’t require too much skill; really, it’s just about a willingness to get your hands dirty. To ensure a tender and moist result, you’ll need to massage the marinade under and all over the skin of the meat.
The flavorings for the marinade are up to you. All that matters is the inclusion of the tenderizing ingredients to ensure the meat is succulent. Over the years, I’ve come up with a great combination for a successful roasted chicken, which consists of softened butter or/and olive oil, baking powder, green papaya paste and an acidic ingredient such as lemon, lime (or any citrus) or vinegar. For the remaining ingredients, I chose, garlic, freshly grated ginger, mint, coriander and honey. I also prepared a lime coconut sauce to pair with the chicken. And it was delicious!
1. Info for Coriander Lime Chicken Recipe
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 4
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Coriander Lime Chicken Recipe
- 1 (3-½-pound) whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or regular salt)
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 4 teaspoons coriander seeds, slightly toasted and ground
- ¼ cup dried mint
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, freshly cracked
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
- 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon papaya paste (see tips)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 green onions (green part only), bruised
- 2 tablespoons orange blossom honey
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup coconut soda (or water)
3. Directions:
- In a mortar and pestle, grind the peppercorns. Add ginger, ground coriander, dried mint, red chili powder and 3 tablespoons of butter. Mix until well combined.
- Zest both limes and juice 1 lime. Cut the lime into quarters.
- Clean the chicken thoroughly. Get rid of the fat chunks near the bottom of the chicken. Leave the skin on. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Season the chicken with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Mix the garlic, papaya paste, 1 tablespoon honey, lime juice, lime zest and baking powder; be sure they’re well incorporated. Place the whole chicken on a large tray. Wearing gloves, carefully separate the skin from the flesh without tearing it. Spread all the mixture under the skin, in the cavity and on the outside of the bird. Rub evenly. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. You can marinate the bird up to 2 nights.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes ahead of time to bring it back to room temperature before placing in the oven.
- Place the quartered lime and green onions in the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken in a roaster. Drizzle with a tablespoon of melted butter, then sprinkle with a little salt. Cover just the tip of the wings, neck part and shoulders with foil so that they don’t burn. Add coconut soda to the bottom of the roaster.
- Roast for 45 min. Remove the foil.
- In the microwave, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add 1 tablespoon honey. Baste the bird with the butter mix using a silicone brush. Increase the temperature to 400°F for roast for 15 more minutes to brown the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Loosely cover with foil (don’t entirely wrap it or the skin won’t be crispy). Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
- A thermometer should register 165°F in the thickest part of the bird or the juice should run clear when you crack around the thighs.
- Reserve drippings at the bottom of the roaster, discarding as much oil (fat) as possible and add them to the lime coconut sauce (recipe follows). Decorate with coriander seeds.
- Bon appétit!
