Description
The search ends here for the best Puerto Rican Roasted Chicken ever! My recipe for Pollo al Horno is generously seasoned with sofrito, sazon, butter, fresh citrus juices, and a whole head of garlic. Roasted to juicy perfection, it’s the perfect dish to serve at the center of your table.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 (3-4 lb) whole chicken, giblets removed
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 tbsp sazon seasoning
- 1 tsp salt per pound of chicken
- 2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1 head garlic, cut in half
- 5-8 sprigs of culantro and/or cilantro
- 1 tbsp orange juice, plus orange carcass
- 1 tbsp lime juice, plus lime carcass
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken and preheat oven. Dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels and set inside a dutch oven or roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prep the butter & seasonings. Add the butter, sofrito, sazon, salt, and pepper to a bowl and mix well until a compound butter forms.
- Rub & stuff the chicken. Rub the compound butter all over the chicken, taking time to get it under the skin over the breasts and in all the nooks and crannies. Stuff the inside of the chicken with the citrus carcasses, garlic and fresh herbs. Tie the legs together with cooking twine. Pour the citrus juice into the base of the dutch oven.
- Roast, rest & serve. Roast the chicken uncovered, until the thickest part of the meat reads 165°F. This takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes in my kitchen, but will vary based on your oven. Cover the chicken with foil directly out of the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
Individual Cuts of Chicken? If you’re working with pre-cut chicken pieces, simply marinate with the rub, nestling the garlic amongst the pieces. Roast skin side up (if using skin-on meat) until the thickest cuts of chicken read 165°F. Rest as directed above.