Golden, Crispy, Juicy Roast Chicken at Home

By Unicorns in the Kitchen · 150 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Make sure the chicken is clean and dry. Grind the saffron strands with a pestle and mortar, sprinkle over 2 ice cubes and let them melt to make bloomed saffron.
2. Mix the bloomed saffron, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, lemon juice and yogurt in a bowl to make the marinade.
3. Gently loosen the skin on the breast with your fingers. Spoon half the marinade under the skin and rub it over the breast, then spread the rest over the outside of the chicken. Let it marinate for about 30 minutes while you make the filling.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
5. Optional filling: heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté the chopped onion until translucent. Add the garlic and orange bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1/4 tsp salt, then the walnuts, barberries, golden plums and pomegranate molasses. Stir and cook for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
6. Spoon the filling into the chicken without overstuffing it.
7. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine: place the middle of the twine under the chicken just below the wings, bring both ends over the thigh joints and under the legs, cross them to close the legs, then bring the ends under the legs again, over, and tie tightly. Cut off the excess twine. Tuck the wings under the chicken.
8. Halve the heads of garlic so the cloves show. Cut the carrots, potatoes and onion into large pieces and place them in a large cast iron skillet or roasting pan. Set the chicken on top.
9. Roast for 1 hour 40 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F and the juices run clear.
10. Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before carving.

Summarized from Unicorns in the Kitchen's video. Watch it for the details.

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