There was “Blog to Plate version 1” and then there was Blog to plater version 2, and in between, I was out for 2 days for an official trip to receive an award on behalf of my organization. It was Pasta who needed my time in between and to spend time with her and to clean the mess at home (an aftereffect of bulk cooking) I have taken a day off in between. It took me and the house-helps around three hours to clean the mess. Needless to say, I had almost no time to cook the dinner (thankfully there were leftovers to cover the lunch). I ended on making a simple dish for the dinner. Orange and Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables it is.
Talking about Orange and Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables, I am quite regular with Roasted Chicken at home all through the year. Pasta loves roasted chicken and so does Mehebub. On the other hand, I prefer the veggies I roast along with the chicken and also the gravy.
In winter I add orange as well to make my whole roast chicken more flavorful. I replace orange with lime in the summer. The recipe I am going to share is of Orange and Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables and I use my age-old OTG to make it.
Christmas is around the corner and so is the time of roasting the chicken (or turkey). This is my first Christmas post for 2018 and probably the last this year. I actually am planning to post this recipe since long. However, I was not satisfied with the pictures I took over almost 2-3 years for Orange and Herb Roasted Chicken! Surprisingly I neither had much time, not enthusiasm to click the pictures today however I ended on capturing a few satisfying shots.
I have used a small chicken along with ample veggies; bell pepper, zucchini, baby potatoes, baby carrot, broccoli, onion, garlic and also Orange. Apart from that, I have used fresh herbs; fresh parsley curls and also lemongrass. This is very easy to go recipe and apart from chicken every single thing is replaceable. In fact, chicken can also be replaced with Turkey or Duck. Veggies work as the positive catalyst for poultry roast. Veggies not only help in keeping the moisture in balance but also enhance the flavor. Orange/ Lime etc also are used as a flavoring agent and also for maintaining the tenderness. Roast does not call for many spices and hence fresh herbs are used as the flavor enhancer.
A few tricks before making the Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables!
- Small Chicken works best in the home set-up than a bigger one.
- Small sized chicken makes the roast more tender and juicy.
- There is Chicken Roast and there is Chicken roasted with Orange Juice. You only understand the difference after trying it.
- Fresh herbs are needed to make the roasted chicken more flavorful. I tie the legs with Lemongrass instead of twig and that works!
- I prefer to fill the chicken cavity with fresh herbs and orange to not only make the roast tender but also to infuse the flavors as much as I can.
- Veggies are not only fillers but they make the dish complete and so is the gravy.
- Slow roasting is the key here! Instead, o roasting the chicken in high temperature for less time I prefer to roast it over low temperature for an added hour.
Here’s how I make Orange and Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables or Slow Roasted Chicken at Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Serves: 5 People
- Serving size: 150g
- Calories: 496
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated fat: 5.2g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Sugar: 11.8g
- Sodium: 638mg
- Fiber: 7.1g
- Protein: 46.8g
- Cholesterol: 131mg
- Whole Chicken (with Skin): 1 (Around 700g dressed chicken)
- Orange: 2
- Baby Potato: 5
- Baby Carrot: 5
- Zucchini: 1
- Broccoli: 1
- Mushroom: 100g
- Bell Pepper: 1
- Shallot/ Mini Onion: 5
- Parsley Curls: a few
- Rosemary: a few
- Lemon Grass: 3 sticks
- Thyme: 1 Tsp. (I did not have fresh)
- Garlic:10 (Minced) + 10 (peeled)
- Salt: to taste
- Lime: 1 (Big)
- Black Pepper Powder: 1 tbsp.
- Olive Oil: 2 Tbsp.
- Butter: 1 Tbsp.
- Onion Powder: 1 Tsp.
- Wash and pat dry the chicken with the skin on.
- Make a paste with Black Pepper Powder, little salt, onion powder, minced garlic and also Lime juice and rub it over the chicken and also inside the inner cavity.
- Leave it for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, wash veggies and cut Bell Pepper, zucchini and broccoli into big chunks.
- Wash and cut Mushrooms as well.
- You do not need to cut or peel the Potatoes or baby Carrot.
- Remove the Onion skin.
- Meanwhile pre-heat the oven in 180 degrees C for 10 minutes.
- Heat Olive Oil in a pan and saute the veggies for 5 minutes along with salt and black pepper.
- Now take an oven-safe tray and place the chicken in the middle.
- Cut Oranges into halves and squeeze the juice.
- Fill the chicken cavity with half of the Orange rinds along with parsley, rosemary, lemongrass, and thyme.
- Tie both the legs with the help of lemongrass.
- Now place all the veggies in the tray.
- There will be some gravy in the tray coming from the veggies. Pour that over the chicken and veggies.
- Pour the juice over the chicken and veggies and place the rinds along with the veggies.
- Now place the tray in the middle rack of the oven and slow-roast in 150-160 degrees C for 1.5 Hours.
- For initial twenty minutes roast the chicken by covering the tray with a piece of aluminum foil.
- After every fifteen minutes brush the chicken and veggies with melted butter and keep the roasting on and remove it after that.
- Once done switch the oven off.
- Cut the knot and remove the spice from the cavity and serve the roast hot with the veggies.
- There will be ample of moisture in the tray. Serve the gravy as it is or thicken it over the stove before serving separately.
Same is applicable to baby potatoes and baby carrot.
If fresh lemongrass is not available use kitchen twig to tie the chicken. However, lemongrass enhances the flavor a lot.
I prefer small Chicken instead of a bigger one as I have a family unit of OTG at home and also small chicken (around 750g) makes the roast way better tender and juicy.
Easy chicken recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Dak Bungalow Chicken Curry (also known as Chicken Dak Bungalow)
- Chicken Chaap (also known as Chaap Bhaja)
- Aam Kasundi Murgi (also known as Bengali Style Chicken in Mango Mustard Sauce)
- Pish-Pash (also known as Pish Pash)
- Doi Murgi (also known as Kolkata style Doi Chicken)
- Kolkata style Chicken Bharta (Also known as Chicken Bhorta)
- Robibarer Murgir Jhol (also known as light chicken curry)
- Goalondo Steamer Curry (also known as Boatman Style Chicken Curry)
- Methi Murgh Malai (also known as Methi Chicken)
- Bengali Desi Murgir Dum (also known as Bengali Country Chicken Curry)
- Bangladeshi Chicken Roast (Bengali Chicken Roast)
- Restaurant Style Chicken Malai Kebab (also known as Chicken Reshmi Kebab)
- Kolhapuri Chicken (also known as Kolhapur Chicken)
- Sali ma Marghi (also known as Parsi Sali chicken)
Have you tried the Orange and Herb-Roasted Chicken and Veggies recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Do let me know how it came out. Also, I would love to see a picture of the same which you can share here on dolonchttrj@gmail.com. Meanwhile, on Instagram, you can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar and in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani.
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