I love chicken on the BBQ and especially if it is done on a rotisserie. This Orange Roasted Rotisserie chicken is a nice take on roast chicken with a slightly sweet tangy flavour.
Start by rinsing out the chicken skin and insides and then pat dry to apply the orange butter rub. The rub is made with butter, orange zest and rosemary, and massaged right underneath the skin and then all over the top making sure it is well coated on all sides. Finish by sprinkling with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. This makes the chicken very tender and juicy with a very light sweet orange taste. It’s finished off with a light orange, rosemary, and honey glaze while roasting.
Once coated you can put it on the rotisserie and then load it into the BBQ rack. Cook on medium high heat keeping an eye on it to ensure it browns evenly. Brush the chicken with the glaze for about the last half hour until it is nicely browned. This recipe is based on about a 3lb bird and should be done in about 1 to 1.5 hours and reaches 180 degrees with a meat thermometer. Once done let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes and then carve.
Orange Roasted Rotisserie Chicken
Ingredients
Prepping the chicken
- 1 Whole Roaster Chicken - about 3 lb
- 2 tbsp softened butter
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp freshly ground zest from 1 medium orange
- sea salt and ground pepper to taste
Marinade for basting
- 1 tbsp freshly ground zest from 1 medium orange
- 1/2 cup orange juice from fresh squeezed orange
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
Instructions
- Start by rinsing out the chicken skin and insides and then pat dry.
- Combine butter, orange zest, and rosemary and mix into a smooth paste.
- Peel back the chicken skin on breast and spread mixture to cover. Rub the rest of the butter mixture all over the bird making sure it is well covered.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Load bird onto rotisserie and place a drop tray underneath to catch the juices.
- Set BBQ on about medium high to start and get rotisseried started. Let the chicken continue to rotate and ensure is is browning evenly.
Glazing
- Combine orange juice, honey and remaining rosemary and mix with brush until well blended.
- Brush the glaze on the chicken for about the last half hour and watch that it does not burn because of the honey. You may want to stop the rotisserie while glazing if it is hard to cover evenly.
- The chicken is done when it reaches 180 degrees. Take the rotisserie off the grill and remove. Place the chicken on a cutting board and let rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to serve.
