Heavenly Roasted Chicken with Miso and Oranges

Walking into a kitchen that contains a roasting chicken has to be one of the most universally comforting experiences known to humankind. All cultures seem to have a special fondness for roast chicken, and it's easy to see why: when cooked right, it boasts moist, deeply flavorful meat with crisp, salty skin, and the addition of citrus seems to only intensify this happy harmony. Lemon chicken is one of the world's great dishes, but I find orange chicken-- roasted chicken with cut-up orange quarters in the cavity, which are then squeezed over the sliced meat when fully cooked -- to be equally marvelous, especially when it's roasted with a little miso paste under the skin.

Here is how to do it:

1) Preheat the oven to 300F.

2) Rinse and dry the whole bird thoroughly, including the cavity. Set it breast-side up on a roasting pan fitted with a rack sprayed with olive oil to prevent it from sticking.

3) Zest two oranges, place the grated zest in a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of miso paste, and squeeze the juice from one of the zested oranges into it. Mix it with a fork until you have a creamy, miso-orange paste.

4)  Using your fingers, very gently separate the skin from the chicken meat. Spoon the miso paste under the skin -- use it all.

5) Cut the remaining orange into quarters, and  stuff them into the cavity.

6) Spray the entire chicken with olive oil, and liberally coat it with freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.

7) Increase the temperature to 375 degrees F, remove the pan from the oven, and flip the chicken over (use sturdy tongs) so that it's now breast-side down. Roast for another 30 minutes.

8) Increase the temperature yet again, to 425 degrees, remove and flip again, and continue to roast for another 20 minutes. This stage will really crisp up the skin -- it should turn a deep golden brown.

9) Remove and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes. Carve and place on a serving platter, separating the dark meat and white meat on the platter. Squeeze the baked oranges over the meat and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Photo by Annabelle Breakey