Try this Chinese Citrus Roasted Orange Chicken recipe.
- 2 bay leaves
- 7 cups water
- 3 star anise
- 4 lbs whole chicken (giblets removed inside cavity)
- orange wedges (about a quarter of 1 whole californ
- lemon wedges (about half of 1 whole lemon)
- 2-3 small garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp melted ghee or duck fat
- sea salt & black pepper
- quarter of 1 whole california orange juice
- half of 1 whole lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp grated garlic
- 1/8 spfine sea salt
- 1 head garlic halve in half
- 8 chinese red dates (alt. 6 medjool or himalayan dat
- 1/4 cup fresh sliced ginger unpeeled
- half of whole lime peel
- 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
- Carbohydrate 0.296457825592206 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0551297046564588 g
- Fiber 0.0900548225093161 g
- Protein 0.0593860881731871 g
- Saturated Fat 0.00626786710243301 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (592g)
- Sodium 4687.96374012393 mg
- Sugar 0.20640300308289 g
- Trans Fat 0.010269951943459 g
- Calories 2 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine the ingredients listed under ‘My Chinese flavor brining combo’ in a 5 liter size large soup pot. Bring it to boil and then wait until the liquid is cool to room temperature before submerge the whole chicken in the brining liquid. Breast side down. Cover the soup pot with a lid and store in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Whisk ingredients under ‘orange chicken skin coating sauce’ in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400/410 degrees F
- Drain and pat dry the chicken. Rub melted ghee or duck fat all over the chicken and underneath the skin. Be careful not to break the skin.
- Sprinkle the entire chicken and cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with orange and lemon wedges and 2-3 garlic cloves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string.
- Position a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken first for 40 minutes then rotate the roasting pan to bake another 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the ‘orange chicken skin coating sauce’.
- Continue roasting the chicken until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170 degrees F without touching the bone.
- If you like, place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining orange coating sauce and simmer until the sauce is reduced, stirring often, about 2-3 minutes. Strain into a glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.
Standard roast chicken relies on herb butter and dry heat, but Chinese citrus roasting integrates aromatic brining and spiced cavity aromatics to season the meat internally. Star anise, fresh ginger, and Chinese red dates create an infusion that penetrates dense muscle tissue before the bird ever reaches the oven. Traditional Cantonese master stock techniques heavily influence this flavor profile, balancing deep savory notes from coarse salt with the bright acidity of orange, lemon, and lime peels. Maintaining proper liquid temperature during the initial preparation is critical; ensure the brine cools completely to room temperature before submerging the raw poultry to prevent bacterial growth.
Scaling Yields Up and Down
Adjusting this dish for different headcount sizes requires modifying both the brining vessel dimensions and the internal cavity packing. Processing a larger bird or multiple smaller chickens means increasing the water and spice volume linearly while maintaining the exact 24-hour refrigeration window for adequate salt penetration. Conversely, reducing the recipe for a smaller roasting chicken demands shorter overall cooking times, monitored closely with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh until it registers 170 degrees Fahrenheit without touching the bone. Fat distribution must also scale accordingly, applying melted ghee or duck fat evenly across the skin to encourage crisping without pooling excessively in the roasting pan.
Managing Pan Sauces and Heat Control
Rotational baking ensures even heat distribution inside standard kitchen ovens, requiring a pan turn halfway through the initial roasting schedule. Basting with the orange skin coating sauce during the final stages caramelizes the exterior sugars, demanding careful attention to oven temperatures between 400 and 410 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent scorching. Simmering the pan drippings over medium-low heat for two to three minutes concentrates the residual citrus and fat emulsion. Skimming excess rendered fat from the strained reduction before serving yields a glossy finish that clings to carved portions without feeling overly heavy.
