Orange Chipotle Chicken

Blue Jean Chef

Ingredients

  • 3 – 4 lb. chicken
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
  • 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce (from the peppers above)
  • 2/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp. orange zest
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin seed
  • 1 onion, wedged

Preparation

Clean the chicken by removing the giblets, rinsing with water, and drying thoroughly with paper towel.

Make the rub by combining the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, orange zest, cumin, brown sugar, and salt. Rub the mixture all over the chicken, both inside the cavity and all over the skin. You may want to use gloves or a re-sealable plastic bag to do this as the rub will be spicy and could burn your hands.

Preheat the oven to 350°F, or preheat the BBQ grill for 10 – 15 minutes. If you’re using a BBQ grill, create an indirect cooking area by turning off one of the burners or moving the coals to one side of the grill. The indirect cooking area will be the area with the turned off burner or the side of the grill with fewer coals.

Pour the orange juice into the center of the chicken roaster dish. Place the chicken over the center of the chicken roaster dish.

Season the onions and sweet potatoes with salt and pepper and place them in the chicken roasting pan around the chicken. If you’re using a BBQ grill, pour some chicken stock or water over the vegetables so they’re barely covered. 6. Check throughout cooking to make sure the liquid doesn’t evaporate completely, causing the vegetables to burn. Roast or BBQ (over indirect heat) the chicken until the internal temperature of the inner thigh meat registers 165°F on an instant read thermometer. The timing will depend on how big a chicken you’re roasting. A 4-lb. chicken will take about 75 minutes. 7. Allow the chicken to cool for 4 – 5 minutes on the chicken roaster dish. Carefully remove the chicken and serve with the onions and sweet potatoes.

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