Out of many of my recipes, this is one I’ve tried out many, many times. The marinade- simple. I haven’t changed it much since the first time I did this recipe. It’s flavorful and is a great extra sauce for roasted veggies. The cooking and process- also simple. Don’t be intimidated by a whole chicken. It’s actually quite easy.
The hardest parts that I found with this recipe was 1) Making sure that the whole chicken was evenly and thoroughly cooked and 2) Cutting it after it was cooked. The key to #1 was to put this on convection and to use a thermometer to check the deepest part of the chicken. The key to #2 was letting the chicken cool for about 5-10 minutes before cutting and also having this be Matt’s job 🙂
A special note about the plantains: Similar to avocados, plantains are a totally different flavor when ripe. And often times, it’s hard to find them already ripe in the grocery store. I usually buy them a week or so before I make this recipe to make sure they are ready. You’ll know they are ripe when they are mostly/fully brown. Use a knife to peel. If you can’t find plantains, I’ve also done this recipe without them. Sub in brussels sprouts or cauliflower.
Roasted Chicken with Plantains
Serves 3-4
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1 small whole chicken
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3 tablespoons minced garlic
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5 tablespoons (2.5 ounces) soy sauce
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1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (about the juice of 1 lime)
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1 1/2 teaspoon chile powder
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1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
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3/4 teaspoon sea salt
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2 plantains, sliced*- make sure your plantains are ripe. They should have a entirely black peel!
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1 large yellow onion, sliced*
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5 assorted orange and purple carrots, sliced*
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1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
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extra virgin olive oil
*The onion, carrots, and plantains should be about the same size so they cook at the same rate.
Combine garlic through sea salt to make a marinade. Set about 1/3 of the marinade aside to later coat with the vegetables. Coat chicken with the other 2/3 of the marinade and place in a ziploc bag. Let marinate for 2-6 hours. If possible, move the chicken and rotate it once during this time so the marinade coats the whole chicken evenly.
Preheat oven to 400 on convection. Place cast iron pan in oven to heat before (I’ve also done this in a baking dish and skipped this step, which worked just fine). Toss onion, carrots, and plantains in about a tablespoon of oil, some salt and pepper, and the remaining marinade.
Pat the chicken dry. Place chicken in middle of cast iron skillet and then surround with vegetables. Place remaining vegetables that don’t fit on a separate baking sheet. It is better to do this than crowd the pan, and these vegetables make great leftovers so it’s better to have more than less!
Roast until skin is golden and the deepest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees, about 35 to 45 minutes. Having done this in a variety of ovens, I suggest checking the chicken at 35 minutes first, and then check every 5 minutes or so. Every time I have gone to about 45 minutes, but I feel better about checking it. The vegetables should take about the same time, but I also recommend checking on them at 35 minutes and giving them a toss to move them around.