A few months ago, I grabbed dinner with a friend at Ford Fry’s Tex-Mex restaurant, Little Rey. On a whim, I ordered the pollo al carbón and immediately fell in love.
Up until that moment, I didn’t consider myself a chicken girl. My mom will almost always order a half chicken if it’s on the menu somewhere (she is a chicken girl). I like chicken just fine (I like the “cheaper chicken,” if you get that reference), but most of the time I’m not ordering it when I go out to dinner. This chicken changed my mind in the best way.
I loved it so much that I’m pretty sure I called my mom about it on the way home from the restaurant. That’s how much it stuck with me. I called my mom… about a chicken.
I knew I wanted to figure out how to make a version of this at home. After a quick Google search, I realized there was no need to reinvent the wheel. Pollo al carbón is a traditional method of cooking chicken over coals or open flame, and it’s already perfect as-is. I didn’t want to recreate the method or claim authenticity where it didn’t belong.
What I did want was a home-oven version that mirrored the flavor profile I loved so much at Little Rey. I wanted the brightness, the chile heat, deeply seasoned meat, and those caramelized onions and jalapeños.
This recipe is for a Citrus Chile Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken, inspired by Little Rey’s flavors and adapted for a weeknight oven. The brine goes beyond salt and sugar and includes jalapeños, mandarin oranges, garlic, cilantro, and a touch of liquid smoke for depth.
The chicken roasts over a bed of sliced onions and fresh jalapeños, which caramelize in the pan drippings and taste almost as good as the chicken itself. Serve them spooned over carved pieces, or toss everything together and pile it into corn tortillas for tacos. Either way, it’s a meal that feels special without being overly complicated.
Citrus Chile Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
– 1 whole chicken (about 5 lb), spatchcocked
**Brine**
– 1/2 cup kosher salt
– 1/4 cup granulated sugar
– 2 jalapeños, chopped
– 2 mandarin oranges, halved, juiced, then added to brine
– 2 Tbsp liquid smoke
– 6 garlic cloves, smashed
– 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
– Hot water + cool water to cover
**Rub**
– 2 tsp kosher salt
– 2 1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
– 1 tsp ground cumin
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
– 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
– Zest of 1 mandarin orange
**For roasting**
– 2 onions, sliced
– Whole fresh jalapeños
– 1 mandarin orange, sliced (the one used for zest)
– Neutral oil, as needed
1. Dissolve the salt and sugar in hot water. Add jalapeños, mandarin juice and halves, liquid smoke, garlic, and cilantro. Add cool water until fully cooled.
2. Submerge the chicken and brine in the refrigerator for 4–24 hours (8–12 hours recommended). Remove and pat completely dry.
3. Heat oven to 425°F.
4. Scatter sliced onions, whole jalapeños, and sliced mandarin on a large rimmed sheet pan. Lightly salt.
5. Place chicken skin-side up on top of the onions. Mix rub ingredients and apply evenly, including under the skin where possible. Lightly oil the skin.
6. Roast 45–55 minutes, until breast reaches ~165°F and thighs ~175°F.
7. Remove chicken and rest 10 minutes. Return onions and jalapeños to the oven for 5 minutes to deepen caramelization.
8. Carve and serve with rice and vegetables, or shred and toss with onions for taco-style serving.