Want to spice up your Sunday roast game? I’ve got this Chipotle Roast Chicken recipe for you, with a homemade gravy recipe included! Whether it’s your regular Sunday roast or a special holiday roast, this recipe is going to be a refreshing and exciting twist of flavours to impress the table. For me, I just love how it adds vibrancy to a classic roast chicken and the leftovers are so good to play around with as well.
Why You’ll Love This Chipotle Roast Whole Chicken Recipe
The use of chipotle paste adds such an alluring flavour to a traditional roast chicken. It adds a robust but mild hint of spice, accompanied by tangy piquant flavours and natural sweetness. I like to first marinate it with buttermilk to give that extra tenderness, keeping that roast chicken moist & juicy. In addition to that, the recipe includes a tasty compound butter, as well as homemade chipotle honey gravy to pair with the chicken. The homemade gravy will have all the flavours from the roast chicken jus, tinged with a touch of honey that brings out another layer of sweetness and flavour dimension from the chipotle peppers.
Keep Your Roast Chicken Juicy with Compound Butter
Nobody likes dry chicken. The extra step of whipping up a compound butter is exactly how you can prevent that. Compound butter is basically butter blended with herbs & seasonings – it can be with any flavour you desire! In this recipe, I make my roast chicken compound butter with garlic, paprika, oregano, chipotle paste, and lime (both zest & juice).
All you have to do is gently lift the skin of the chicken and directly stuff & spread the compound butter to it. Having that extra layer of fat in contact with the chicken meat will help keep your chicken moist & juicy, while also flavouring the meat. Additionally, you should rub some of the compound butter over the surface of the chicken as well. This would make your roast chicken crispy on the skin. The compound butter is also great for basting the chicken throughout the roasting process as well.
What to Serve with Chipotle Roast Chicken
You can serve this chipotle roast chicken with all your usual roast dinner side dishes such as Yorkshire pudding, roasted vegetables and potatoes. If you want to switch things up a little bit, why not try making smashed potatoes or air fryer gunpowder potatoes! I also like to serve it with lime wedges to add an extra zing to it.
What to Make with Leftover Chipotle Roast Chicken
Don’t know what to do with leftovers? We are obsessed with using the leftover chipotle roast chicken to make a chicken cheese toastie / grilled sandwich with Peruvian Aji Verde sauce! Simply butter up some bread, and top with shredded leftover chicken, a spread of Aji Verde sauce, and cheese slices. Place the sandwich under the grill or toastie/panini machine and it’s going to be one lip-smacking delicious sarnie for lunch! We like adding Aji Verde sauce because it offers an extra kick of spice, a fragrant herby flavour, and a creamy texture.
Alternatively, if you crave something more hearty and comforting, we also like to add the leftover chicken to a simple pasta soup. The chipotle flavours would go nicely with a simple garlic tomato soup base with a squeeze of lime.
Looking for more chicken recipe inspo? Check these out too:
How to Make Chipotle Whole Roast Chicken with Gravy
Ingredients you need
- Whole Chicken
- Buttermilk – see recipe notes for quick homemade buttermilk
- Chipotle Paste – for marinade, seasoning rub, and compound butter
- Paprika, Cumin Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Granules, Oregano – the spices for marinating & seasoning the chicken. Some would be used for making the compound butter as well.
- Salt & Black Pepper – seasoning
- Butter – for making the compound butter
- Garlic – for stuffing & compound butter
- Onion – for stuffing & gravy
- Lime – for stuffing & serving
- Chicken Stock & Honey – for the gravy
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Buttermilk shouldn’t be too hard to find at supermarkets. But if you can’t find any, you can easily make it at home in just 5 minutes. For every cup of whole milk, simply add a tablespoon of lemon juice and let the mixture sit till tiny curdles form. Et voila, that’s how you make homemade buttermilk for cooking!
- As mentioned above, using compound butter is key to keeping your roast chicken moist & juicy, as well as ensuring it’s flavourful! All you have to do is get your hands dirty, lift the skin, and stuff the compound butter beneath it. Save some of it to rub over the skin and for basting.
- I highly recommend using a meat thermometer when cooking a roast. Monitoring the temperature is the most accurate way of knowing whether your meat is fully cooked and ready. For roast chicken, aim for an internal temperature of 75°C / 165°F. Simply insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken and check the temperature. Alternatively, you can also use a wireless meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature via your phone!
- The cooking time for the chicken will vary depending on the size of your chicken. The heavier & bigger the chicken, the longer it’ll take to fully cook through. This recipe features whole chicken weighing around 1kg and takes an hour or so to cook. Make sure you use a meat thermometer to help you check if the chicken is ready or not.
- After your chicken is cooked, let it rest while you prepare for the gravy. Just like beef & lamb, chicken needs resting to allow the juices to settle back into the meat.
- Make sure you use
- The “secret ingredient” mentioned for the gravy is honey!
Recommended Product Links
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps me, as a content creator, to continue delivering free content for you!
Chipotle Roast Chicken with Gravy
Equipment
- 1 Meat Thermometer *(recommended product link in notes section)
- 1 Roast Tin *(recommended product link in notes section)
Ingredients
- 1 medium Whole Chicken (about 1kg)
Ingredients for Marinade & Spice Rub
- 1 cup Buttermilk*
- 1½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1½ tsp Onion Granules
- 1 tbsp Paprika
- ½ tbsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tbsp Chipotle Paste
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Ingredients for Compound Butter
- 4-5 tbsp Butter
- 1 Lime (both zest & juice)
- 1 tsp Chipotle Paste
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Oregano
Ingredients for Chicken Stuffing
- ½ large Onion
- 3-4 cloves Garlic
- 3-4 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 Lime halved
Ingredients for Gravy
- 1 tbsp Butter
- ½ Onion finely sliced
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 1 tsp Honey
Instructions
- Marinate whole chicken in buttermilk for at least a few hours or ideally overnight.1 medium Whole Chicken (about 1kg), 1 cup Buttermilk*
- In a small bowl, mix together all the dry spices & seasonings.1½ tsp Garlic Powder, 1½ tsp Onion Granules, 1 tbsp Paprika, ½ tbsp Cumin Powder, Salt, Black Pepper
- Discard leftover buttermilk. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken.
- Spread the chipotle paste all over the chicken.1 tbsp Chipotle Paste
Making the Compound Butter
- Using a blender or hand-whisk, blend together all the compound butter ingredients until combined. You can make this beforehand and store it in the fridge.4-5 tbsp Butter, 1 Lime (both zest & juice), 1 tsp Chipotle Paste, 1 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp Oregano
- Gently lift the chicken skin and spread half the compound butter beneath the skin.
Stuffing & Roasting the Chicken
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Stuff the chicken cavity with onion, garlic, and lime.½ large Onion, 3-4 cloves Garlic, 1 Lime, 3-4 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- Place the chicken into a roasting tin and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
- Turn the oven temperature up to 200°C. Bast the chicken with the remaining compound butter and cook for another 10 minutes until the chicken reaches 75°C / 165°F internal temperature. (You can insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken to check its internal temperature.)
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven. Let it rest while you prepare the gravy.
Making the Gravy
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onions for a few minutes until softened.1 tbsp Butter, ½ Onion
- Stir in flour until fully coated. Pour in chicken stock and all the chicken jus from the roast tin. Keep stirring until thickened.2 tbsp Flour, 2 cups Chicken Stock
- Add honey and season to taste.1 tsp Honey
- Optional step: strain the gravy.
To serve
- Remove the stuffing from the chicken.
- Transfer the gravy into a gravy boat and serve warm!
Notes
- The Preparation and Cooking Time does not include time for marinating the chicken.
- How to make homemade buttermilk:
- Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to every cup of whole milk. Let sit for about 5 minutes until tiny curdles form.
- Using compound butter is key to keeping your roast chicken moist & juicy.
- Cooking times for the chicken will vary depending on the size of your chicken. Make sure you use a meat thermometer to help you check if the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 75°C / 165°F.
- Standard Meat Thermometer – amzn.to/47nsIka
- Wireless Meat Thermometer – amzn.to/3S1Qspx
- Roast Tin – amzn.to/3vhYgug
- Gravy Boat – amzn.to/48kTrPJ
Save & pin this recipe!
