Take your weeknight roast chicken to new heights with this fabulous saffron chicken recipe. Infused with the golden hues and aromatic flavors of saffron, and baked to perfection, this meal is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian
Keyword chicken with saffron, chicken with saffron butter, saffron butter, saffron chicken
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Additional Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour55 minutesminutes
Servings 6
Calories 763kcal
Author Laura Bashar | Family Spice
Ingredients
2tablespoonunsalted melted butter
½teaspoonground saffron
4lbwhole roasting chicken
½onionquartered
1sprig of rosemaryfresh
½lemonquartered
¾teaspoonsalt
⅜teaspoonground black pepper
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
In a small bowl, combine butter and ground saffron. Let it steep and reserve.
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Remove giblets and neck inside chicken cavity and place on a roasting pan with rack. Season cavity of chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.
Stuff onion, rosemary, and lemon inside the cavity of the chicken. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs of the chicken together (optional).
Brush the entire chicken with the golden saffron butter, brushing under the skin of the chicken breast, as well.
Season the entire chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Roast chicken for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350ºF.
Roast chicken until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 170ºF, approximately 1 hour 20 minutes.
If chicken starts to brown too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
Tilt chicken to allow juices from cavity to run into roasting pan.
Transfer chicken to platter, cover with foil and let stand for 10 minutes, allowing internal temperature to rise.
Spoon and discard fat from surface of pan juices. You can also use a fat separator.
Serve chicken with pan juices on the side.
Notes
TO STORE: Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.