It’s been quite some time since I roasted an entire chicken at home in the oven. I’m not sure why it simply doesn’t occur to me more often to fix such a feast, as the process is incredibly easy, amazingly delicious, and basically feeds a farm.
In any case, I did it again.
And, this time, I stuck with the citrus theme, adding fresh orange peel and orange slices into the mix, but also rubbed this bird up and down with a spicy Mexican seasoning…um yum… and served it over a sautéed succotash of sorts, consisting of onions, corn, green chiles, and black beans.

Mexican Spice Rubbed Orange Roasted Chicken

1 large organic chicken, rinsed
1 large orange, zested and then thinly sliced
2 Tbs. Mexican spice blend
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the olive oil all over the outside of the chicken. Next rub the orange zest, spice blend, and salt all over the bird, inside and out.
Take about half of the orange slices and stuff them inside the bird, as well, reserving the remaining slices for serving.
Bake in a roasting pan (on a rack, if possible) for about 50 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 425 and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until a thermometer inserted reads between 160 and 165 degrees, or the juices run clear.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving with remaining orange slices.

Serve over sautéed succotash, if desired.