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Mariel here. I first spotted this Latin Spice Chicken on Always Order Dessert. The crisp, russet-colored skin left my keyboard covered in drool, and since roasting a chicken is one of the easiest ways to keep everybody fed without spending hours in the kitchen, I love finding new ways to dress it up. I was a bit worried at first that the “exotic” blend of spices would be too much for my 8-month old, but I happily discovered that he has a flair for the fragrant. He gobbled this up with the same verve he usually reserves for blueberries.
I’ve now made this twice and I found that it pairs beautifully with Chimichurri-slathered potatoes (click here for the recipe). Simply toss a few quartered tubers in with the chicken and roast away; just wait until the tots are cooked before dressing them with the ‘churri, otherwise the flavor withers a bit with the heat.
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Latin Spice Roast Chicken with Spanish Paprika & Fresh Lime
Serves 6
Adapted from Always Order Dessert
Ingredients:
¼-cup butter, melted – stock
1 lime, halved – $0.25
2 Tablespoons Smoked Spanish Paprika – $3.99 (for an entire jar)
½-Tablespoon ground cumin – stock
½-Tablespoon dried oregano – stock
½-teaspoon cayenne – stock
1 Tablespoon kosher salt – stock
1 teaspoon ground black pepper – stock
1 medium-size whole chicken, 4-5 lbs – $8.50
2 sprigs of fresh thyme – $1.69
Grand total assuming “well-stocked” kitchen: $14.18
Cost per serving: $2.36
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, juice from half a lime, paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne, salt & pepper.
2. Place the chicken – breast-side up – in a large roasting pan and massage with the spice rub – get into all the nooks and crannies, inside and out. Gently separate the skin from the meat and get the rub in there too.
3. Quarter the remaining half of lime and the juiced lime half and stuff inside the chicken along with the thyme sprigs. Chill for 2 to 12 hours in the fridge.
4. When you’re ready to roast, remove the chicken from the fridge and let stand at room temp for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Roast for 50-60 minutes or until juices run clear when you prick the thickest part of the thigh. Let stand for 15 minutes before carving – this is important – so juices return to the meat.
I LOVE roasting chickens and this recipe looks like a fantastic way to switch up the flavors. Must try!
Ladies, thank you for keeping my dinners interesting these past couple weeks. I’m definitely planning on trying this chicken next week. I made a variation on your black bean quinoa veggie burgers last week and it was love at first bite. 😉 Even my husband loved them, and he’s a tough sell on veggie burgers!
The spice crust looks quite enticing.
Butter makes everything better!
Has anyone actually made this? I’d like to hear from people who ate it
I love the use of smoked paprika in this recipe. Droolicious 🙂
Tried this recipe and tweeked it just a little…rubbed the chicken down with EVOO first, stuffed with onion and cilantro, as well added chopped cilantro to the rub. DELICIOUS! I will add this to my cooking rotation. I’ve never worked with Spanish Paprika before, and it has a delicous flavor to it!
Have made this recipe several times, always to rave reviews. Spatchcocked the chicken first. Used olive oil instead of butter. We put the chicken on the grill and it was fantastic. The chimichurri sauce is a great accompaniment. This is a winner!
We’re so glad you’re enjoying this Barbara! Thank you for your comment – and great idea to spatchcock and grill the chicken, bet it’s extra flavorful that way.