Moroccan Spice Roast Chicken with Orange Sauce

This dish is something I picked up on a Moroccan TV show I found on the internet. This dish is a lot like a Moroccan version of a classic roast turkey for thanksgiving.

1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cardamom seeds (from about 1 1/2 tablespoons cardamom pods)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 whole chicken, rinsed, patted dry
1 pound carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

Preheat your oven to 420°F.

Take the first 7 spices and grind them together in a coffee grinder or food processor. Transfer to small bowl.

Stir in the orange juice, oil and garlic. This spice mix can actually be premade and kept in the refrigerator.

Rub spice mixture all over the chicken; place it on a large roasting pan. Rub the chicken with salt and pepper. This will actually draw the moisture out of the skin and will make it crispy.

Tie the legs together to keep the bird together.

Mix your carrots around the pan, not in or on top of the chicken. Season the carrots with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes.

Add stock to the roasting pan as needed. Roast the chicken until juices run clear when the thickest part of the leg is pierced and carrots are tender, but not mushy. Make sure to continually baste the chicken with the stock every 10 minutes to make sure it stays juicy.

Place the chicken on a large tray and carve. Serve with carrots. You could also add some Jasmine Rice to make this a truly authentic Moroccan dish.

Another great companion to the roast Chicken would be a citrus orange sauce.

To make this sauce take 2 ripe oranges (peeled and seeded) and puree them with the pan drippings from your chicken in a blender or food processor. Next, heat the sauce in a small saucepan, add some salt pepper, and finally lightly thicken the sauce with cornstarch or flour. Remember, the sauce must be boiling for the thickeners to work.

Enjoy Hungry Traveler!