We were in the mood for a roasted chicken but I wanted to change the routine. Since we love to use the roasted chicken meat in Mexican dishes I decided to translate the simple ingredients from my more standard Oven-Roasted Chicken to their Mexican-inspired counterparts. In place of Dijon mustard, herbes de Provence, lemons and white wine, I used salsa verde, cilantro, limes and cerveza.
I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of doing this sooner because my family loved the meat on its own and the subtle differences made the chicken perfect for tacos {or nachos, huevos rancheros, enchiladas or any other Mexican-style meal}. It can also be served simply as roasted chicken with the works {sides of arroz, beans, salsa fresca, guacamole etc.} for a healthy and flavorful meal.
| Mexican Style Roast Chicken |
- Salsa Verde
- 1 pound tomatillos
- 1/2 of a lime
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers
- For a medium spicy salsa, add 1-2 serrano peppers
- For a very spicy salsa, add ½-1 habañero pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1-3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 of a white onion
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 1-2 Tbsp Canola oil
- Oven-Roasted Chicken
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 Tbsp butter, softened
- 2 Tbsp salsa verde
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
- Dash of salt and pepper
- 1 lime, sliced
- 1 onion, cut in 8ths
- 5-7 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- Basting the Chicken
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup beer
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 Tbsp salsa verde
- Lightly coat a large pan with canola oil.
- Place the peeled garlic cloves, onion wedge, whole peppers and peeled and rinsed tomatillos in the pan.
- Cook the veggies on med-high for 15-20 minutes or until browned, flipping them so that they roast on each side. If they start to stick, add a splash of water into the pan.
- Place the cooked vegetables and the remaining ingredients into a blender and purée them until smooth.
- Cool the salsa to room temperature.
- Cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator.
- Mix the butter, salsa verde and chopped cilantro in a bowl to form a paste.
- Rinse the chicken well and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Place it on a roasting pan and spread the salsa verde paste over the entire chicken, getting it in the cavity and under any flaps of skin.
- Stuff the chicken with lime slices, onion chunks and whole garlic cloves.
- Bake the chicken at 350 degrees for 1-2 hours (depending on the size of the chicken), or until the chicken is done. It usually takes roughly 20 minutes per pound but use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat reaches a high enough temperature, which is a minimum of 165 degrees for poultry according to the USDA.
- For the last few minutes, you can increase the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees to brown the chicken at the end.
- If the chicken is getting too browned while cooking, cover it loosely with a piece of foil.
- Baste the chicken every 15-20 minutes with the drippings to keep the meat moist.
- If there are not enough drippings, combine the olive oil, beer, chicken broth, salsa verde and cilantro to form a basting liquid.
