1 ½ -2lb.small golden beetsscrubbed clean and halved
4large shallotshalved
Olive oil
Kosher salt and peppertaste
4-5sprigs of fresh thyme
Chunky Orange Vinaigrette
¼cupchopped fresh parsley
2Tbspthinly sliced chives
1Tbspchopped fresh tarragon
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
1Tbsphoney
4Tbspolive oil
1large cara cara orangesegmented and chopped (can use the zested one from above!)
Kosher salt and pepperto taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Add black pepper, coriander, and fennel to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind to a coarse powder. Add to a small bowl along with the 4 tsp salt, smoked paprika, chili, and orange zest. Mix to combine.
Season chicken all over with the spice mix. Use all the mix, and really press it into the chicken. It's important that the chicken is very dry so that the spices stick. Season the cavity with the spices as well. Tie the chicken legs together with butcher twine and tuck the wings under the breast. Set aside. You can also do this step a day ahead and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight and it will be even better!
Add beets and shallots to a large cast iron pan or baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine.
Make sure all the beets are cut side down in the pan. Toss in the thyme sprigs.
Place chicken on top of the beets. Drizzle the chicken liberally all over with olive oil. Pour the chicken broth around the chicken over the beets.
Bake the chicken for 1 hour. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F and continue to cook until the chicken is golden and the internal temperature of the breast reaches 160 F (it will carry over), and the dark meat is at least 180 F. This should take about 45-60 minutes. Check the chicken now and then during the roasting process. If the skin is getting too brown for your liking, reduce the oven temp to 400 F for the remainder of the cooking. **
Let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes.
While the chicken rests, whisk together parsley, chives, tarragon, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey and olive oil. Stir in chopped oranges and season with salt and pepper.
Remove the thyme sprigs and serve chicken/vegetables with the tarragon orange vinaigrette on the side. The pan juices are also delish so spoon that over everything too! This dish is great as a stand-alone meal, or served with a leafy salad, crusty sourdough toast, or steamed white rice.
Video
Notes
* I used the guntur sannam chili from Diaspora Co. for this, but you can also sub with cayenne**I like the chicken skin deeply brown but just keep an eye on it and reduce the oven temperature if desired.