Paprika and Citrus Rotisserie Chicken

For this week’s recipe, we are sharing one our many takes on one of the classics; Rotisserie Chicken.

Rotisserie is a method of roasting and, therefore, can also be known and referred to as a spit-roast. Where a rotisserie chicken differs from your standard roast chicken is when the meat is skewered on a spit and rotated in an oven, over a grill or, of course, over a barbecue.

Rotisserie chicken is one of the easiest things you could cook on your barbecue. Sure, you will need to purchase a rotisserie if you don’t already have one, but it’s totally a worthwhile investment for your barbecue in our eyes!

The versatility of the dish also means it’s open to hundreds upon thousands of interpretations. You can customise it with pretty much any kind of seasonings you want… Or you can even keep it plain and traditional! Serve it as part of a classic roast dinner, with some pasta, salad… the possibilities are really endless here!

For this particular rotisserie chicken, we’ve gone a paprika and citrus marinade to season and some hearty salad side dishes to go along with it. We used two medium sized chickens which was more than enough to feed a family.

It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to cook both chickens on the rotisserie. However, how long yours may take to cook will depend on the size of the chicken and the heat of your barbecue. Remember that you need to cook the chicken until it’s done and not for a specific time. If you have one, use a temperature probe. Your chicken should be ready when the thickest part of the thigh as reaches 74℃/165℉.

Serves: 6
Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 1 hour 15 mins approximately

Ingredients

  • 2 medium whole chickens
  • 2 whole oranges
  • Lime salt
  • Paprika
  • 50ml apple juice
  • Rosemary leaves

Method

  1. Stuff each individual chicken carcass with one whole orange. This is a great way to get that citrus flavour across the whole bird. After that, tie both of the chickens up by the legs.
  2. Grab your paprika and lime salt and rub both ingredients across the entire bird. Use as much or as little of either ingredient as you wish depending how spicy and citrusy you want the flavour to be. Let the chickens sit and marinade for 45 minutes.
  3. While the chickens are marinading, grab 50ml of apple juice. Add some paprika and lime salt to the apple juice until you made a liquid paste that we’ll be using later on.
  4. Once the chickens have marinaded for 45 minutes, put them on each end of the rotisserie poll and put them on the barbecue. Add your rosemary leaves underneath the rotisserie tray to add some extra flavour while cooking.
  5. While cooking, brush some of the paprika, lime salt, and apple juice paste onto the chicken every 15 minutes or so to really seal in that flavour.
  6. Once your chicken has cooked (remember 74℃/165℉) you are ready to serve this delicious, succulent rotisserie chicken with side dishes of your choosing!

See it really is as easy as that! Not only is it easy, but we feel like you get a much better tasting bird through the rotisserie method. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll never want chicken a different way again!

For extra ideas, recipes and tips, don’t forget to take a look at our website

Share with us your favourite pics on Facebook. Get updates on the go, follow us on Twitter or Instagram