Roasting a chicken is something we pretty much do once a week in my family. There are a variety of reasons why I do this, particularly because it is really easy, and more so that it feeds and pleases everyone at the table, and more importantly, it is just comforting. But there are plenty of times where I am not just bringing the classic roasted chicken to the table, and this one of of those weeks. I wanted to surprise my family with the flavors from India, while at the same time, presenting something that they were all familiar with. Lets just say, it was a big hit.
Let’s get started.
(Serves 6) [Print this Recipe]
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 3 tbsp ginger paste
- 3 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp tumeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 whole chicken, cut into various pieces (legs, thighs, wings, breasts)
- 2 whole carrots, cut into large chunks
- 1 whole onion, quartered
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
Mix all of your ingredients into a bowl. Pour over the pieces of chicken and massage into the chicken. Add the chicken to a large, sealable plastic bag, and place in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, it not, at least four hours.
When you are about to cook the chicken, add the vegetables to the bottom of a large cast iron skillet, or a oven safe deep dish that is large enough to house all of the chicken.  Top the vegetables with the pieces of chicken, preferably the thighs and drumsticks in the center.
Let this sit in the skillet and come to room temperature to remove the chill. During this time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place the skillet in the oven, and cook for 30 minutes, then reduce your oven temperature to 400 degrees, cooking for another 45 minutes. The skin should be nice and golden and crisp, as the interior is fully cooked through, and nice and moist.
Remove the skillet from the oven, and begin to plate. Serve family style with the chicken in the middle and your vegetables surrounding the chicken.
The flavor of this chicken is nothing but ridiculously good. It has most everything you would expect from the flavors of India. Crisp on the outside, which most everyone in my family loves, and super tender on the inside, this chicken is sure to please. It was a big heat with the youngest to the oldest at the table. If there are leftovers, which we had plenty of, I used up the remaining chicken, sans skin, and vegetables and made a fritatta the following evening.  Enjoy!