Roasted Chicken Tacos
The chicken is infused with a marinade bursting with orange, lime, and an array of spices. Roasting the chicken allows the chicken’s natural juices to caramelize, creating a flavourful crust on the outside while keeping the meat moist and tender on the inside. The chicken is carved then placed on warm tortillas, with a dollop of homemade guacamole featuring ripe avocados, juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, and a hint of jalapeño heat. These tacos promise a fiesta of flavours in every bite!Perfect for a cozy family dinner, a festive gathering with friends or for meal prepping for the week ahead.
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Malden salt
- 4 pound whole chicken RWA (raised without antibiotics)
- 1 orange (grate 1 teaspoon orange zest, set aside) then halved.
- 1 lime halved
- ¼ cup white wine or chicken stock (more as required)
Marinade
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon hot smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Guacamole
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 avocados cubed
- 2 medium tomatoes seedy/wet middle removed, then firmer wall, diced. Divided.
- 2 tablespoons diced red onions
- ¼ cup frozen corn thawed
- 1 small jalapeño thinly sliced and tossed in pickle juice, set aside for one hour.
- ¼ small red onion thinly sliced and tossed in olive oil, set aside for one hour.
- 4 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped, divided
For serving
- Small tortillas heated, to serve
- Chopped cilantro
- Orange zest optional
- Shredded lettuce
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
- Combine the garlic with the Malden salt and set aside.
- Gently run your fingers under the skin of the chicken breasts, to separate the skin from the meat. Be careful not to tear the skin. Rub the garlic-salt mixture onto the chicken breast under the skin.
- Place ½ an orange and half a lime into the cavity, then tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.
- Mix all the marinade ingredients, plus the orange zest, in a bowl, then season the whole chicken with the mixture. Place in a large glass bowl, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator until ready to use. 2 to 4 hours.
Roast the Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400°F true convection.
- Place the chicken on sliced onions (or a rack) in a small shallow roasting pan (or deep walled ¼ sheet pan). Pour any marinade left in the bowl over the chicken. Pour ¼ cup white wine (or chicken stock) onto the pan around the onions (enough to just cover the bottom of the pan).
- Roast for 25 minutes, then reduce the oven to 325°F (convection) and roast until the internal temperature in the breast reaches 165°F, 45 to 50 minutes. Baste the chicken with the pan juices every 15 minutes (adding a splash more wine or chicken stock to the bottom of the pan as needed).
- Remove from the oven and loosely cover the chicken with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes.
For the Guacamole
- Brown the corn in a dry skillet over medium heat (optional), set aside.
- Place the garlic and salt in a molcajete (mortar) and mash to a paste with a tejolote (pestle). Or mince the garlic and add to a bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, juice of the lime, and avocado cubes, then roughly mash. Add the diced onions, corn, 3 tablespoons of cilantro and half the diced tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Top with the remaining tomatoes, and cilantro, then sprinkle the drained jalapeños and onions.
Serve and Enjoy
- Carve the roasted chicken and serve with warm tortillas and guacamole.
- Please take 5 seconds to rate this recipe below. We would greatly appreciate it!
Video
Notes
Note: Depending on the size of your roasting pan or sheet pan used to cook the chicken, you may need to adjust the amount of wine or chicken stock used to keep the bottom of the pan just covered.
Tip: If you have the time the day before, pat the chicken dry and place it on a sheet pan with a rack. Refrigerate overnight to dry the skin, this step will help to create a better texture on the skin.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!