Masala Chai Spatchcock Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Masala chai loose leaf tea
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon orange compound butter, room temperature
- 3 to 5 pounds spatchcock chicken
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin all of oil
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 pieces fresh ginger, skin removed
- 1 orange, cut into six pieces
- 1/2 chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon orange compound butter, see recipe below
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
for the orange compound butter
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- zest of 3 oranges
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the Masala chai loose leaf tea into a coffee grinder. Purée until the tea leaves are finely ground. Combine the salt with the ground masala chai loose leaf tea in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Evenly cover the outside of the chicken with 1 to 2 tablespoons of orange compote butter and a generous amount of Masala chai spice rub. Peel back the chicken skin and add more of the masala chai spice rub. Be sure to evenly distribute the rub on the chicken.
- Place the oil into a large cast iron skillet. Bring the skillet to high heat add half of the onions to the pan. Let it cook for one minute. Push the onions to the side of the skillet add the chicken to the skillet, breast side facing down. Cook for 2 1/2 minutes, and then flip the chicken. Add the cinnamon stick, ginger, orange slices and remaining onion to the skillet. Cook for another 2 1/2 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of orange compote butter to the skillet and place the chicken into the oven. Roast for 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches 160 to 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the oven and place the chicken on to a rimmed cutting board. Cover the chicken with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Place the skillet back onto the stove top and turn the temperature to medium-high heat. Add the chicken stock, butter and cream to the skillet and let boil on high heat for two minutes. Stir frequently. Remove from the heat.
- Slice the chicken and serve with pan sauce. Serve warm.
for the orange compound butter
- Combine the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Stir until combined. Store in plastic wrap or in a small bowl in the fridge, up to 5 days.
Notes
When I handle raw meat I use rubber gloves to add the spices and butter. It makes for easy cleanup. I keep a seperate coffee grinder to grind spices– this helps to keep coffee “flavor” from my home-ground spices. This recipe was also featured in The Dallas Morning News, click here to read the story.
