Rouxbe

This colourful chicken was a hit! Not only did the paste look fun underneath the chicken skin it also really made it juicy. I'm not a big chicken fan myself but for a dinner party this is great. For twelve people I used two fairly large organic chickens. Perfecto mundo!

Esta receta tiene un sabor realmente bueno, la crema de cilantro que se le pone bajo la piel, impregna al pollo de un sabor unico, no es complicado, y es delicioso.

Simple and easy. Be careful not to tear apart chicken's skin when preparing it.

Since my husband & I are going to be alone for Thanksgiving this year, I decided to try out this recipe, using a small organic chicken. It was a great success! And the leftovers taste fantastic cold!

You mention the cilantro paste makes enough for 2 chickens, if I freeze the other half would it affect the flavor. Also could I brine the chicken in some salt and water for an hour or two before preparing to roast it. Or do it make a difference since I'm puting a paste under the skin to make the breast meat juicy.

I am always a fan of brining, I think it makes chicken so much better and so much more moist. I recommend brining a whole chicken for at least 2 hours.

As for the cilantro paste, you can try to freeze it and let me know, but I think it's best when fresh. But it will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Hope this helps!

I want to add some vegetables like small red potatoes, onions and peppers so that I can make it a more balanced meal. When would I add the vegetables? And how long would I leave them in for?

The potatoes will likely need about 45 mins or so, depending on their size. You can add them in the last 30 minutes or so, and then when the chicken is ready you can take it out and let it rest while the potatoes finish cooking. At this point, I would also turn up the heat to about 400 to 425 °F, as long as there is still some liquid. This will way the potatoes can get a bit of color and soak up some of the yummy chicken stock.

You could also add some large diced carrots if you like.

What time should I be there for dinner? Ha Ha! Good Luck!

The chicken looks delicious. At this point I must confess that I was running low on groceries and didn't have the cilantro at all. But I had a whole chicken and decided to do an Indian village favourite, a whole chicken basted with just mustard oil and red pepper flakes. I added lime and a garlic head cut through the middle in the cavity and a bay leaf and a few thyme sprigs under the skin. I remember it used to taste delicious. And I just pulled my chicken out and set it for resting while the peppers, potatoes and onions cook. The chicken smells divine.

And you are still invited to dinner, Dawn.

Thanks Swati, your recipe sounds really nice. You should enter it in the "Test Kitchen" I would make it for sure.

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Enjoy your dinner :-)

I made this tonight and my husband loved it. His only complaint was he wanted more of the cilantro sauce. I cooked a bigger than average chicken that took ALL the sauce, so there was nothing left.

Next time, I think I'll try this with chicken thighs to up the ratio of sauce to meat. My butcher sells chicken thighs so big they take about 75 minutes to cook. I think the sauce will have enough time to work it's magic. Do you?

Glad you liked the Chicken Charmian... Extending this stock is easy. All you have to do is double up on the stock at the beginning if you want more in the end. This sauce is really just a reduced dark chicken stock flavored (or enriched) by the drippings from the chicken, the cilantro paste and the garlic & lemon from inside the chicken. So don't be afraid to add some additional dark chicken stock in the end to add to the volume.

It would also work great for thighs, breasts, legs, etc...no problem.