Don’t let your date night sneak up on you! You need an elegant but simple recipe like this Middle Eastern Slow Roasted Chicken to wow your date!
For some reason, a lot of folks find the thought of cooking a whole chicken daunting. Maybe it’s because turkey cooking can be a bit cumbersome? But we are talking about a bird that’s generally 1/4 the size of a turkey.
This Middle Eastern Slow Roasted Chicken could not be easier to make but is so full of impressive flavor! You’ll want to keep this one in your back pocket anytime you have company over, trust me.
If you’re planning on going homemade for Valentine’s Day this year, it may be overwhelming with the millions of recipes at your disposal on the world wide web. Do you make pasta? a casserole? Do fish instead of chicken?
It’s a lot. Provided you’re making dinner for a carnivore and not a vegetarian (DEF something you want to know first), a classic roast chicken with a twist is always a safe but impressive choice. Serve with warm naan, Greek yogurt, fresh lemon, and maybe a side of roasted cauliflower and potato (coming Sunday to the blog!).
Pair this chicken with a nice crisp and dry rosé and your date night is sure to be a success!
A few notes:
This chicken is very hands-off, but if you feel led, you can baste the chicken every hour or so to help the skin evenly crisp.
I’d highly recommend getting a meat thermometer if you don’t have one. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the meat near the inner thigh between the leg and the breast and if it reads between 160°F and 165°F, it’s done.
Want more of that Middle Eastern flavor? Try my Honey Za’atar Hot Wings!
Recipe adapted from Alison Roman’s Slow Roasted Chicken.
Middle Eastern Slow Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 3½–4-pound chicken, innards removed, patted dry, and legs tied.
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 1 tbsp za'atar
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1 head of garlic, halved horizontally, exposing the cloves
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
- ½ cup olive oil
- Warm naan, for serving
- Greek yogurt, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Mix allspice, cardamom, cumin, sumac, za'atar, and pepper in a small bowl to combine.
- Place chicken in a 2-qt. baking dish. Season chicken liberally with salt, over and under the skin. Rub with half of the spice mix, pressing and working it into the meat.
- Fill the cavity of the bird with the garlic, onion, lemon, and cinnamon stick.
- Pour olive oil over the top and bake in the preheated oven until chicken is cooked through and very tender 2½–3 hours.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve with warm naan and Greek yogurt.
Notes
*Additional seasoning is great kept in an airtight jar and used on potatoes or roasted cauliflower!
Marg
Monday 20th of October 2025
This chicken is absolutely company worthy, which is what i did! Everyone loved it and the juices!! When making it for the second time i added the extra spices along side of chicken for a extra wow factor in juices (company ate up the whole chicken with no leftovers so i had to make another chicken the next night as we had leftover veg and naan etc haha ) I have added this recipe to my cookbook collection !
Thank you so much!!
Xzavier Mcdaniel
Friday 3rd of January 2025
I am truly thankful to the owner of this web site who has shared this fantastic piece of writing at at this place.
david
Saturday 30th of March 2024
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Nicolas
Monday 14th of February 2022
Hi the recipe says to rub half the spice mix over the chicken but it doesn't say what you do with the other half? thanks
Paige
Tuesday 22nd of March 2022
Sorry, that wasn't clear! I just save it in a small airtight jar for future use!
Jenny
Tuesday 23rd of November 2021
Hello, I’m planning on cooking the chicken. Do you cover the chicken while it’s in the oven? Also, did you use cast iron pan?
Paige
Tuesday 23rd of November 2021
I did not cover the chicken while it was cooking, only while resting on the counter after. I have cooked in a cast iron and in a roasting pan both with the same results!