Oven roasted chicken (baked chicken as it’s sometimes called in the Caribbean) is infamous for being dry and somewhat bland. However in this recipe I’ll not only show you how simple it is to a make a moist oven roasted chicken, we’ll apply some Caribbean seasonings (herbs) which will definitely excite your taste buds. This recipe is based on the method of seasoning chicken as it’s normally done in the Caribbean for stews, curries and grilling.
You’ll Need…
1 4 lb chicken
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon Caribbean green seasoning
2 tablespoon olive oil
*Notes: To add a little kick to things, you can add some finely diced scotch bonnet pepper or a little peppersauce (hot sauce) to the marinade. Click on the following link for a recipe video on how to make Caribbean Green Seasoning: http://youtu.be/g7znPCJvhnU BTW, this is also a wonderful gluten free recipe idea.
If you’ve never spatchcock a chicken before , it’s very simple. Using kitchen scissors (or knife), place the whole bird on it’s breast (we sometimes say chest in the Caribbean) then using the scissors, remove the backbone off the chicken by cutting along each side of the middle main bone (see image below). Then turn over and gently press down on the breast to fatten the chicken. This method (spatchcock) will enable us to cook the chicken quicker and more evenly. Discard the back bone or save for soups and making stock.
Wash and pat the chicken dry, then in a bowl combine all the ingredients and give it a good mix.
Rub the entire chicken with this lovely Caribbean marinade and set in the fridge to marinate for a couple hours (cover with plastic wrap). Then place in a baking pan with a rack (if you don’t have a rack you can place on top some cut carrots, celery and onion) the idea is to allow heat to circulate around the chicken as it roasts. In my case I like adding about 1 cup of water to my pan as I find that it helps to keep the chicken moist as it roasts in the oven.
Heat your oven to 400 F and roast on the middle rack for about 50 minutes. Half way through roasting, turn your pan so it browns evenly. If you’re using my tip for adding water in the pan, you may need to add some more after about 30 minutes.
Allow the chicken to rest about 6-8 minutes (covered) before slicing through. I like placing the use lemon pieces in the roasting tray as it adds a lovely aroma as the chicken does it’s thing.
Without a doubt this will be one of the simplest roasted chickens you’ve ever made and quite honestly.. the tastiest. The marinade will add a lot of flavor to this chicken and I know your family and friends will be complimenting you on a job well done.
Based on 14 Review(s)
It’s great!!!
We don’t use just salt and pepper on our meat, that is an huge huge huge insult to our culture!!!
I assume you missed the other 400 recipes posted? BTW, have you experienced ALL Caribbean cultures? You’d be surprised once you start digging deep into different islands and not just the one you’re connected to. FURTHER – you may have missed the Caribbean green seasoning used.
There is at least 7 ingredients in the green seasoning alone, which he also provided a link for. Chris does so much to expose the world to the great and unique flavors of Caribbean cooking, which is part of the culture last time I checked. So much so that you can be sure a link to caribbeanpot.com will be one of the first results to pop up on google pretty much any time you are looking for a recipe. Give your head a shake lady.
My something new learnt today, spatchcocking a chicken. I’ll certainly try it the next time I’m roasting a whole chicken.
thanks Chris great and really simple recipe
It’s funny the things I remember as a kid growing up in the islands watching my Auntie who was a Kitchen Boss cook, though I was only half way paying attention. But when she used to cook like whole chicken or big pieces of chicken like leg quarters also she used to take great pleasure with a small sharp knife and literally stab the chicken over and over and over and over all over. It left lots of stab wound incisions all over the chicken….. and then she would seasoned the chicken with her own blend of whatever it was that smelled like heaven. Marinate it overnight to cook next day.
I never quite got back then why she enjoyed stabbing the chicken so much. But in time I come to realize she was stabbing up the chicken to make puncture wounds so when she marinated the chicken the marinate would permeate down into all the stab wounds and flavor the chicken deep down into the flesh.
Next time I cook a whole chicken it will surely be spatchcocked and stabbed for good pleasure.