Smoked Paprika Roast Chicken

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Roast Chicken Round 2

One of the most popular recipes on this blog is my Za’atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken. It’s so crazy to me because that was one of the first recipes I ever developed for my blog, so it’s great that, even over the years, people still love it. The chicken is so flavorful, the skin is crispy, yet the inside is still so juicy. What makes it even better is that it’s roasted with a medley of vegetables, so your entire meal is ready in one pan! In honor of that recipe, I figured I was due for another whole roasted chicken recipe. Today, we have a Smoked Paprika Roast Chicken! The chicken is coated with a smoked paprika herb butter and roasted on a bed of vegetables and sausage. It’s juicy, crispy, smoky and tasty!

I feel like most people shy away from roasting a chicken because it seems intimidating to work with a whole chicken. If you don’t like handling raw meat, it can be a lot to take in, but roasting a whole chicken is easier than you think and you get more bang for your buck! The preparation for this recipe is so easy then all you have to do is pop it in the oven to cook. When this Smoked Paprika Roast Chicken is cooked, you’ll have a delicious meal ready to serve all in one pan.

Smoke Show

To get started, we’re going to make the smoked paprika spice mix. It’s a combination of smoked paprika, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, oregano, onion powder, and cayenne. All of these spices and herbs compliment each other and the chicken to create a delicious, savory, and smoky flavor.

Once the spice mix is made, toss a portion of it together with the vegetables and sausage. We’re using red baby potatoes, Spanish chorizo or smoked sausage, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and garlic. Mix it all together with some olive oil and spread it out into an even layer in a roasting pan. I absolutely love how all of these ingredients roast together. The potatoes absorb all of the juices and flavor from the chicken. Then the Spanish chorizo or smoked sausage adds another smoky, savory element to the dish. Lastly, the tomatoes, onion, and garlic, caramelize into a delicious jammy consistency that really concentrates all of their flavors.

Moving onto the chicken, remove any packets of giblets inside the cavity of the chicken. As someone who doesn’t love touching raw meat, I promise, this will be the only bad part. It’ll be over in less than 10 seconds! Make sure there’s nothing left inside then pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Mix the remaining smoked paprika spice mix with butter, salt, and pepper. Rub this butter mixture all over the chicken, making sure to get under the skin as well. We want that smoky flavor to be everywhere.

Tie it Up

Next we’re going to truss the chicken. A whole chicken has white meat, dark meat, thicker areas, and thinner areas. All of those differences will cause each of those parts to cook at different rates. The goal with a roast chicken is to make sure the chicken is juicy and cooked through while also getting a crispy layer of skin. Trussing a chicken helps the chicken cook at a more even rate because we’re tying the chicken back into one uniform bundle. Everyone has their own method of trussing a chicken, and I’m not going to pretend like I’m some chicken trussing expert. You can find plenty of tutorials online and find one that makes the most sense to you. I personally followed Escoffier’s Home Gourmet’s tutorial.

Once the chicken is trussed, place it on a roasting rack over the vegetables or directly on top of the bed of vegetable. Roast it in the oven at 425℉ and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉. For a 5 pound chicken, it’ll take about 1 hour and 45 minutes to finish cooking. You may need to adjust the cooking time a bit depending on the size of your chicken. If the skin starts getting too dark before the chicken is done cooking, loosely cover it with foil. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before serving so that the chicken retains all of its juices.

The Perfect Roast

There you have it — a moist and flavorful Smoked Paprika Roast Chicken! The skin should be crispy and full of flavor from all of those spices and herbs. My test of a good roast chicken is the breast meat. Often times, the breast meat can become dry easily because it doesn’t have a lot of fat. So when you have a moist and tender chicken breast, you know it’s good! As the chicken roasts in the oven, all of its drippings seep into the roasted vegetables and sausage, adding even more flavor. The cooking time in the oven allows them to caramelize and absorb all of the juices.

This Smoked Paprika Roast Chicken is just too good to not share, so please try it out! It’s great for if you want to meal prep for yourself throughout the week or share a meal with friends and family. Whatever the occasion, I promise it won’t disappoint!