Red Roasted Chicken
Whole roasted chicken rubbed with red wine vinegar, paprika, and garlic, then roasted over a bed of fresh Roma tomatoes and onions. Simple ingredients, deeply savory results.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
120 minCOOK
60 minREADY
195 minA red wine vinegar and paprika rub gives this whole roasted chicken its gorgeous color and tangy bite. The vinegar does double duty: it flavors the skin and helps it crisp up in the oven while the paprika blooms into a deep, brick-red crust.
After rubbing the bird down, you refrigerate it for an hour. That rest lets the marinade penetrate past the surface and seasons the meat all the way through. Meanwhile, diced Roma tomatoes and onions cook down in the bottom of the pan, catching all the drippings as the chicken roasts. Those pan vegetables become your built-in sauce, no gravy-making required.
Truss the legs with kitchen string and tuck the wings behind the back before roasting. This keeps the bird compact so it cooks evenly and the breast doesn’t dry out before the thighs are done.
Chef Tips
- Use a full 2 tablespoons of paprika. It looks like a lot, but it mellows in the oven and creates that signature red color. Hungarian paprika works best here.
- Don’t skip the marinating hour. The vinegar needs time to work. You can go up to 4 hours in the fridge for even deeper flavor.
- Let it rest 10 minutes after roasting before carving. The juices redistribute and you won’t lose them all on the cutting board.
- Skim the pan fat before spooning out the vegetables. A fat separator makes this quick.
Variations
- Smoky version: Swap regular paprika for smoked paprika (pimenton) for a Spanish-style roast.
- Lemon herb: Add the zest of one lemon and a tablespoon of fresh thyme to the rub.
- Spicy: Mix in ½ teaspoon cayenne with the paprika for a kick of heat.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine vinegar, paprika, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper in small bowl until well mixed.
Rub the vinegar mixture all over the chicken.
Tuck the wings in the back of the chicken and tie the legs together with kitchen string.
Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour.
Heat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Heat oil in medium-size skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the remaining ½ teaspoon pepper; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes.
Stir in tomato and water; cook for 3 minutes.
Spoon vegetable mixture into nonaluminum 13×9×3-inch baking pan.
Place chicken on vegetables.
Roast in preheated oven for 1 hour, until instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh meat without touching bone registers 180 degrees F.
Carve chicken into serving pieces.
Slice chicken breasts into slices.
Place on serving platter; keep warm.
Skim fat from baking dish ; discard.
Remove vegetables with slotted spoon to serving platter.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
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