Persian Roast Chicken

Roasted chicken on brown wrapping paper
GMVozd / Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 90 mins
Total: 105 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Strictly speaking, this isn't a traditional Persian recipe. But the combination of saffron and citrus, so important to that wonderfully complex cuisine, infuses the simple roasted chicken with fabulous flavor. Clementines are especially nice in this recipe because their characteristic sweet and sour notes echo the flavor principles of Persian cuisine. If they aren't in season, you can substitute a small orange.

Ingredients

  • 1 Spanish or yellow onion, trimmed, halved and sliced

  • 2 tablespoons warm water

  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

  • 2 lemons

  • 2 clementines

  • 1 (3 1/2- to 5-pound) roasting chicken

  • Kosher salt, or sea salt, to taste

  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Spread the onion slices in the bottom of a roasting pan. 

  2. Place the warm water in a small bowl. Rub the saffron threads between your fingers to crush them and add to the water. Set aside.

  3. Place the olive oil in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Juice the lemons and clementines, and add the juices to the oil. Set aside the lemon rinds, and discard the clementine rinds.

  4. Remove any giblets and the neck from the chicken, and pluck any pin feathers. Rinse inside and out with cold water, and pat dry. Place the chicken breast up on top of the onions.

  5. Stuff the cavity with the lemon rinds.

  6. If desired, truss the chicken.

  7. Drizzle the chicken with a little olive oil and massage it over the skin with clean hands. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with a pinch of kosher or sea salt, along with the cinnamon, and cumin. Rub the spices all over the skin.​

  8. Add the saffron water to the oil and citrus juice mixture. Whisk to emulsify, and pour evenly over the chicken.

  9. Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

  10. Then lower the temperature to 425 F. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until cooked through, about 50 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. When done, the juices will run clear, the leg will wiggle freely, and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh will register 160 F/71 C.

  11. Remove the chicken from the oven, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Tip

  • If you are making this recipe for Passover and can't find kosher for Pesach saffron, feel free to omit it, but do add the 2 tablespoons of water to the pan to help keep the onions from scorching.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1042 Calories
59g Fat
22g Carbs
105g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 1042
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 59g 75%
Saturated Fat 15g 77%
Cholesterol 333mg 111%
Sodium 367mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 105g
Vitamin C 90mg 452%
Calcium 106mg 8%
Iron 6mg 32%
Potassium 1172mg 25%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)