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Orange Ginger Roast Chicken

Orange Ginger Roast Chicken

Orange Ginger Roast Chicken - infused with flavour! This chicken is brined to add seasoning and juiciness before roasting to tender perfection!
Course Dinner
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 1 or 2 roast chickens
Author Barry C. Parsons

Ingredients

  • 1 or 2 three to 4 pound chickens

For the steeped herbs & spices (for the brine recipe)

  • 3 tbsp peppercorns
  • 4 tbsp dry thyme
  • 4 whole star anise
  • 2 tbsp whole cloves
  • 4 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 4 cloves chopped garlic
  • 1 cup boiling water

To make the brining liquid

  • 6 litres water
  • Zest and juice of 2 whole oranges
  • 1 chopped onion
  • Few sprigs fresh thyme if you have them
  • ¾ cup sugar Here you can experiment with flavours by using equal amounts of other sugars like honey, maple, molasses or brown sugar.
  • ½ cup kosher salt
  • Steeped herbs above

You will also need ( to put in the cavity of the chicken)

  • 1 small orange
  • About 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 peeled cloves garlic
  • several slices fresh ginger

Instructions

For the steeped herbs & spices (They go in the brining liquid)

  1. In a small bowl combine the peppercorns, thyme, star anise, cloves, ginger, garlic and boiling water.
  2. Set aside to steep for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the brining liquid.

To make the brine

  1. In a very large bowl or small food grade plastic bucket,combine the water with the steeped herbs, oranges and zest, onion, thyme, sugar and salt.
  2. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved, then submerge the chicken/s entirely in the brining liquid. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight.
  3. Pull the chicken from the brine and pat the skin dry with paper towels. Rub the entire surface of the chicken with 2 tbsp olive oil.
  4. Season the skin with salt and pepper and some chopped fresh thyme.
  5. Boil 1 small orange for about 10 minutes.
  6. Stab the orange about a dozen times with a fork and stuff it into the cavity of the bird along with the fresh thyme, garlic and ginger.
  7. Roast uncovered on a rack in a preheated 375 degree F oven until a meat thermometer reaches 185 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the breast meat ( approximate 1 ½ hours or longer depending on the actual weight of the chicken)

Recipe Notes

The brining liquid in this recipe is sufficient for 2 chickens or a turkey. If you are only cooking one chicken you can half the amounts included in the recipe for the bringing liquid.