Scallion-and-Chile-Roasted Chicken with Chipotle-Lime Sauce

The bold, spicy flavors of the scallion-chile rub in this recipe penetrate the chicken in only a couple hours, so it’s relatively fast when it comes to marinating. Of course, you can leave the rubbed chicken in the fridge overnight for even richer chile and scallion flavor.

The simple sauce for the chicken is a little spicy too, complemented with the smokiness of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce and rounded out with a burst of tart, fresh lime. This recipe makes a small amount of sauce to be passed at the table—not slathered on the bird toward the end of roasting like a barbecue sauce. One to two tablespoons is all your guests need to accent the chicken without smothering its own deep, roasted flavor.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 3 large scallions, finely chopped
• 1 green or red cayenne chile, chopped
• 1 jalapeno chile, chopped
• 1 habanero chile, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 3-3/4-lb chicken, quartered (2 breast-wing pieces and 2 thigh-drumstick pieces)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Scallions and Chiles for the Chicken Rub

Quartered Chicken

For the Sauce

• 2 large chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp adobo sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• sea salt

Preparation

For the Chicken

1. Combine the scallions and all chiles in a bowl and stir in the olive oil. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the chicken pieces on it skin-side up.
2. Loosen the skin on the chicken and rub the scallion-chile mixture beneath it. Rub leftover mixture on top of the skin. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate 2 hours.

Chopped Chicken Rub Ingredients

Chicken Ready to Marinate

1. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Turn the pieces skin-side down and season again. Roast 30 minutes.
3. Turn the chicken skin-side up and roast 25-30 minutes longer, until cooked through and golden brown. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken after Turning

Roasted Chicken

To serve, divide the chicken pieces among 4 plates and pass the sauce (recipe follows) at the table.

For the Sauce

1. Combine the chipotle chiles, lime juice, adobo sauce, and cumin in a small bowl. Season with salt and set aside until ready to use. (Serving size: about 1-2 tablespoons.)

Chipotle-Lime Sauce

Scallion-and-Chile-Roasted Chicken with Chipotle-Lime Sauce