Spicy Roast Chicken Recipe | Easy, Flavourful, and Perfectly Crispy

Introduction to Easy Roast Chicken

If you’re craving a flavourful, juicy, and aromatic dish, this spicy roast chicken recipe is exactly what you need. Infused with bold spices and roasted to golden perfection, this dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Whether you’re preparing a special weekend dinner, a festive meal, or simply spicing up your weeknight menu, this recipe delivers a mouth-watering experience. With simple ingredients and easy steps, you can create a perfectly seasoned roast chicken that’s both tender and delicious. Let’s dive into how to make this irresistible spicy roast chicken!

Butter Marinade for Crispy Spicy Chicken

The harissa and mint combination works beautifully in this marinade. Combining harissa and mint creates a bold and exciting flavour profile that balances spicy, smoky, and refreshing notes. Harissa, a North African chili paste, brings heat and depth, while mint adds a cool, aromatic freshness. This pairing is perfect for adding complexity and a unique twist to your meals

How to make this Spicy Roast Chicken Recipe

The key to making this succulent roast is to get this delicious buttery marinade under the skin and marinate it at long as possible, ideally overnight. When making the marinade, it’s easier to spread it on the chicken if you can get the butter to a soft consistency. I usually do this by putting the butter in a bowl in the microwave and heating it at 10 second intervals. When the butter reaches a clotted cream consistency, it’s ready to mix the spices into it. This makes it much easier to spread. However if you do happen to totally melt the butter (as I did the first time I made this dish!) it does solidify when it touched the chicken, especially if the chicken has just come out of the fridge.

When rubbing on the marinade, I tend to start with the underside of the chicken, I then turn the chicken with the breast facing upwards and place it on the vegetables and potatoes. Next I will proceed to marinate the top of the chicken. This was none of the buttery marinade rubs of onto your mixing tray/board. It will instead rub onto any vegetables, which only increases flavour.

I also cover the chicken with foil for the first hour of cooking, the steam that forms under the foil as it cooks in the oven also ensures a tender succulent chicken. After an hour I baste the chicken in the juices in the tray and put back into the oven without the foil for the last 20-30 minutes. This creates a golden crispy chicken skin whilst the chicken flesh underneath remains tender.

I personally like to throw in vegetables and potatoes under the chicken to cook in the chicken juices and butter marinade. Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and parsnips all work great in this recipe. Try to make sure harder vegetables like carrots and parsnips sit on the bottom of the tray, as the juices of the chicken which will collect in the bottom of the tray as it cooks, will help them to soften and caramelise. I’ve mixed sweet potatoes, and King Edward potatoes in the picture. Maris Piper potatoes also work great in this recipe. I throw over some extra of the spice topping over the vegetables to keep the flavourful taste through out the meal. It really could not be easier to make this spicy roast chicken dinner. Everything fits in one large tray and you leave the oven to do the hard work.

How to serve this Easy Roast Chicken Recipe

I like to serve the roast chicken on a large platter, with the chicken in the centre and vegetables scattered around. Alternatively, you can keep the chicken on a separate platter and the vegetables in a separate dish.

I always need a gravy with any roast dinner. You can use the meat juices from the tray, add to a saucepan with some 200ml of vegetable stock, add in 2 tablespoons of tomato puree and 2 tablespoons of cornflour. Mix through, make sure there aren’t any lumps from the cornflour, let it simmer together until it thickens. You can always add some chilli flakes if you want a bit more of a kick to the gravy. The citrus tomato flavour of the gravy pairs really well this the smokery, peppery flavour of the harissa in the chicken. If you wanted a creamy gravy instead, see the recipe for my peppercorn sauce in my steak recipe.

You could also serve this chicken with rice, matar pulao or chana pulao would work really well.

Conclusion to Crispy Spicy Chicken

This spicy roast chicken recipe is the ultimate way to enjoy a flavourful and satisfying meal. With its perfectly seasoned marinade and crispy, golden exterior, it’s a dish that’s sure to impress. Whether served with your favourite sides for a comforting dinner or prepared for a festive occasion, this spicy roast chicken is a guaranteed hit. If you really wanted to wow your guests, you could serve this roast with my spicy lamb roast. Try this easy recipe today and experience the perfect balance of spice and tenderness. Don’t forget to share your creations and tips in the comments below—we’d love to hear from you!

See my video on Youtube, Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish.

Ingredients

Butter marinade

• 2 kg chicken, skin on
• 100 grams unsalted butter- softened
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tsp of finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp salt- to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp harissa powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1.5 tsp dried mint
• 1.5 tsp chilli flakes

Spice topping

• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp onion granules

Method

• Add the butter to a bowl, along with the other butter marinade ingredients. Mix through thoroughly.

• Rub the marinade all over the chicken skin, underneath the chicken skin and the inside of the chicken. Then leave in the fridge to marinate, ideally overnight, or at least 4 hours.

• When you are ready to cook the chicken in the oven, heat the oven to 180C on the fan assisted setting. Take the chicken out of the fridge and sprinkle over the spice topping. Cover the chicken with foil and place in the oven to cook for 1 hour.

• After an hour, remove the chicken from the oven. Turn the heat to 210C fan assisted. Then remove the foil and baste the chicken with the juices in the tray, then put the chicken back in the oven to cook for another 20 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown.

• Serve with gravy, roast potatoes and gravy.