Roast Chicken with Cumin Rainbow Carrots

Rainbow carrots....that is what this post is mostly about. Have you heard of rainbow carrots? I first learned about them a year ago in a magazine. They are about baby carrot sized and in various colors: orange, yellow, white, and purple. When I first saw them in the magazine I looked all over Vegas to find some. Granted I did not go to Whole Foods or other far away pricey places.....but I did look! So I put that thought out of my head once I couldn't find them. But I was shopping at Publix the other day and there they were.....staring me in the face from beside the bagged salad aisle! RAINBOW CARROTS! Oh man I think I squealed a little bit in the store! But that's okay. It was only the produce lady who is used to that from me now. So I bought 2 bags (there were only about 10 baby carrots in the bag) and skipped home to figure out what I wanted to do with them.

So I remembered a French lady making Cumin-Coriander roasted baby carrots and I thought that sounded pretty good. So I went with a light Middle Eastern theme. Light in that I used a few ingredients but it was not really middle eastern. I made an Orange-Cardamon rubbed roasted chicken. The cardamon is really what I consider middle eastern but not overt here. And then a side salad and some bread. Originally I was going to make this for Sunday lunch, but neither of us really wanted it then. So I opted for last night instead.

Recipe:
1 whole chicken
1c plain yogurt
1 orange, zested
1t cardamon powder
1/2t ground ginger
salt and pepper

In a small bowl mix together yogurt, orange zest, cardamon, and ginger. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Running your hand underneath the skin of the chicken gentle pull it away from the meat leaving a small pocket. Reaching your hands around the chicken breast down to the leg gently tear the skin connecting the two and run your fingers underneath the skin on the thighs and legs. Go slowly and gently so you do not tear your chicken skin. Once all the skin is loosened place 2/3 of the yogurt mixture under the chicken skin on the breasts, legs, and thighs. Rub remaining yogurt mixture over the outside of the chicken.

Place in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the skin starts to crisp up. Lower heat to 325 degrees and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through (another 30-45 minutes). Let the chicken cool down and then slice up however you prefer.

Carrot Recipe:
2 bags rainbow baby carrots
salt and pepper
1/2t cumin*
1/2t ground coriander*
olive oil

I used cumin seed and coriander seeds. I tried to grind them but did not have a mortar and pestle. That didnt work so well. I did not want fine powder so I places in a pepper grinder. Neither of these worked too well. So I am suggesting you use a powder to get maximum flavor out of your carrots.

If you found carrots like I did, they should already be peeled and cleaned up. Give them a quick rinse and pat dry. Place on a large baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, enough to glisten the carrots. Roll the carrots around to make sure the oil is all over the carrot. Season with salt and pepper. I went a little fancy here and used Sel Gris salt and white ground pepper. Sprinkle cumin and coriander on the carrots. Gently shake the pan to roll the carrots around and get some seasonings on all sides. I like to use my hands though. I feel it works a little better if not messier. 

I roasted at 325 for 30 minutes. At least once flip your carrots over or shake your pan to let them move around. This helps them 1)not stick to your pan and 2) evenly cook and not burn on one side.

We opted for a light salad to go with our meal. And I pulled out one of the vinaigrettes given to us by my Aunt for our anniversary....Tuscan vinaigrette. Okay, okay....so Tuscan doesnt sound like it goes with light Middle Eastern, but the dressing is mostly balsamic vinegar and olive oil, so it went just fine. In fact it was our preferred bread dipping sauce. We did try the chili dipping out but preferred the Tuscan with this meal. 

 

 

So the verdict of our meal? All that hype over the rainbow carrots and the chicken was the suprise! Don't get me wrong....there was nothing wrong with the carrots. In fact they were nice tasting carrots. There just wasn't anything special tasting about the carrots other than their look. They are good for a visually entertaining statement on your plate, but no taste difference. But the chicken.....it was moist and tender and very nice tasting. The slight orange with the musky cardamon was delightful. Alex enjoyed that more than anything else on his plate. So I was happy. Not the dish I was envisioning, but a pleasant suprise none the less. So unless you are just looking to liven your dull colored plate with something different and unique.....dont buy the rainbow carrots. They taste the same. Although tasty. So buy with all of that in mind and perhaps you will not be let down when you eat them!