A chicken roasting in the oven is one of life’s greatest joys, filling the house with tantalizing aromas that have you drooling seemingly forever. Reasonably priced and perpetually adaptable, there are a hundred ways to prepare it. Today’s Lime Cumin Roast Chicken is Mexican in flavor and is downright scrumptious.
The beauty of golden brown crispy skin and tender meat is the goal of every chef and home cook. I struggled trying to figure out what the secret was to the perfect roast chicken and realized that the key was using an instant read thermometer. If you cook a chicken to 162°F (72°C) in the breast, it will be perfectly juicy and tender every time.
One of the main differences between home cooks and restaurant chefs is the amount of seasoning they use. You don’t have to use a lot of different seasonings, but you must use enough salt and pepper to thoroughly flavor the meat.
The primary source of the sodium we consume these days is from processed foods which are loaded with hidden salt. If you are cooking most of your meals with fresh foods, you can use a more liberal hand. Use kosher salt, it contains significantly less sodium and is less salty tasting. One caution – if you are using a kosher bird, it has already been salted, so season those very sparingly primarily with pepper.
Chicken is a blank canvas and can benefit from many different flavors. I often stuff the chicken cavity with aromatics such as onions, garlic, citrus, and fresh herbs. They flavor the meat from the inside out. Aromatics perfume a dish, adding tremendous flavor, and every cuisine has their favorite combinations.
In France they call their chopped onions, celery, and carrots mirepoix (meer-pwah). In the American South they use chopped onions, celery, and bell pepper which is known as the “Trinity.” Italian soffrito typically has celery, onions, garlic, herbs, and green peppers. And in Spain the addition of saffron adds a beautiful floral quality to their sofrito. All of these cuisines are known for their cooking prowess and now you know part of the reason!
If you are intimidated by cooking and carving a whole chicken, you can cook a cut-up chicken instead. It is basically the same technique just without stuffing the cavity of course. Place the pieces in a roasting pan in a single layer, coat with oil, season and roast until a thermometer registers 162°F (72°C), about 55 to 65 minutes for bone-in chicken pieces. Use an instant read thermometer for accuracy and safety.
Another popular method for guaranteeing juicy chicken is brining. The technique that I prefer is called dry brining. You rub the outside of the bird with a little salt, place in a plastic bag (or wrap in plastic) and refrigerate for a couple of days. The salt initially draws out moisture, but if you leave it alone, the now seasoned moisture is reabsorbed, drawing the seasoning deep into the meat. Even if you only have a few hours, this technique produces excellent chickens. Take the chicken out of the bag and leave uncovered in the refrigerator for an hour or up to overnight to dry out the skin before roasting.
Buy a high quality organic bird, season it simply, pop it in the oven and be prepared for a wonderful, healthy dinner that everyone will love. Enjoy this Lime Cumin Roast Chicken and have a fun weekend!!
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Ingredients needed for Lime Cumin Roast Chicken:
- Organic whole chicken, salt and pepper, ground cumin, limes
- Olive oil, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika
- Water or chicken stock, cilantro, optional: potatoes, onions, carrots
PRO Tip:
If you buy a kosher chicken, know that it has already been salted so be very careful with adding additional salt.
PRO Tip:
I don’t bother with trussing the chicken and always get good results. The legs and thighs will cook more evenly when not tied together. If you prefer, feel free to truss your chicken legs for roasting.
How to make Lime Cumin Roast Chicken:
- If you are going to be adding potatoes, onions, and carrots to the pan do it now; place the chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan and liberally season the inside of the bird with salt, pepper, and cumin, then stuff it with lime pieces and poblano strips
- Squeeze some lime juice over the top of the chicken; combine the oil with the seasonings and rub over the whole chicken. Tuck any remaining lime pieces and poblano strips around the chicken
- Pour water or chicken stock in the bottom of the pan and place in a 350°F oven
- Roast for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until a thermometer registers 163°F. in the breast and the leg moves easily in its socket. Remove from the oven and let rest 15 minutes before carving and serving, sprinkle with parsley if desired
PRO Tip:
You can add potatoes, onions, and carrots to the pan, drizzle them with oil, and roast under the chicken for a delicious side dish.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
Gluten-Free Tips:
Penzey’s and McCormick both clearly label their products and most of Penzey’s and many of McCormick’s are gluten-free. Mixing your seasoning blends yourself lowers your risk of getting glutened, and you can control the balance of flavors.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Lime Cumin Roast Chicken (Gluten-Free)
A chicken roasting in the oven is one of life’s greatest joys, filling the house with tantalizing aromas that have you drooling for hours. Inexpensive and perpetually adaptable, there are a hundred ways to prepare it. Today's Lime Cumin Roast Chicken is Mexican in flavor and downright scrumptious.
Ingredients
- 1 (3 to 4 lb; 1.36 to 1.81 kg) whole organic chicken or a cut up chicken
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp ground cumin, divided
- 3 fresh limes, quartered or sliced
- 2 to 3 poblano peppers, seeds and stems discarded, sliced into strips
- 3 to 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp thyme leaves
- 2 tsp rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 to 2 cups (237 to 473 ml) water or chicken stock
- Cilantro or parsley, chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Remove any giblet packets from the inside of the chicken and place it, breast side up, in a roasting pan (Alternately, lay the cut up chicken pieces in the pan.) Liberally season the inside cavity of the chicken with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the cumin in the cavity and stuff with as many lime pieces and poblano strips that fit easily.
- Squeeze some lime juice over the top of the chicken. Combine the oil with the seasonings and rub over the entire chicken. Tuck the rest of the lime pieces and poblano strips around the chicken. Pour the water or chicken stock in the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken in the oven.
- Roast for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until an instant read thermometer registers 163°F (73°C) when inserted in the breast and the leg moves easily in its socket. Cut up chicken pieces will only take about 50 to 55 minutes to come to 163°F (73°C).
- Remove from the oven and let rest about 20 minutes before carving and serving. I am sharing a couple of videos to help you with carving skills here and here. Sprinkle the chicken with the chopped cilantro or parsley if desired.
- Note: You can add potatoes, onions, and carrots to the pan, drizzle them with oil, and roast along with the chicken for an easy side dish.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
Penzey's and McCormick both clearly label their products and many are gluten-free. Mixing your seasoning blends yourself, lowers your risk of getting glutened and you can control the balance of flavors.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 365Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 192mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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