Spiced Orange Roast Chicken

It really is feast or famine with me! I can't think when was the last time I cooked a roast chicken before I was enticed into it on Sunday. Though there are still some leftovers from Sunday's delicious Librarians' Lemon Thyme Chook, when I was walking home tonight in the wet and was approaching Piedimonte's I was struck with the desire to do another chicken!



So what would I do this time? The Librarians' one again or just Stephanie Alexander's normal one with fresh lemon and rosemary? What else could I try? Suddenly I thought of my stock of Spiced oranges high in the pantry. That was what I was going to try.



Ingredients

1 fresh chicken
2 cloves garlic
Spiced oranges (orange and syrup)
4 potatoes
1 orange sweet potato
Olive oil


Mode

Preheat oven to 220c
Quarter potatoes, chop sweet potato and place in bowl
Dribble with olive oil
Pull up your sleeves and mix vegetables to coat with oil
Rub the chicken inside and out with several pieces of the spiced orange
Place remnants of spiced orange inside cavity
Crush the garlic cloves rub over chicken
Sprinkle several spoonsful of the spiced orange syrup over top, bottom, sides and cavity of chicken
Place chicken in baking dish on its side
Arrange vegetables around
Rub chicken with remaining oil from bowl
Place in centre of oven and cook for 20 minutes
Bring out of oven and turn chicken to other side
Turn the vegetables
Cook for another 20 minutes
Bring out of oven and turn chicken onto back (ie breast facing upwards)
Turn the vegetables
Cook for another 20 minutes
During this final 20 minutes of cooking prepare salad or vegetables to accompany.

The orange sauce provided the basis for a lovely glaze and the trick was to ensure that it didn't burn. I served it with a simple rocket, parmesan, oil and balsamic vinegar salad on the side. It was yummy! And I am sure it will be yummy cold as well. What will I try next? Something with plum sauce is very tempting!