Chile Lime Roast Chicken

By Octavio Peña

Updated March 24, 2026

  • Ghazalle Badiozamani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
1 hr
Rating
5(374)
Comments
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Cumin, coriander, paprika and oregano lend this roast chicken a warm, herby flavor profile. It’s cooked on a bed of baby potatoes and carrots that soak up the chicken’s drippings. While the chicken and vegetables roast, whip up a butter-based sauce infused with garlic, serranos, lime and cilantro, which provides a punch of brightness and freshness to cut through the richness of the dish. If you have the time, refrigerate the seasoned chicken uncovered for 30 minutes to 24 hours for a more flavorful chicken and extra-crispy skin.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more for seasoning and serving

  • 1 spatchcocked chicken (about 3½ pounds, see Tip) or 8 skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), patted dry

  • 1½ pounds baby potatoes, halved

  • 2 large carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces 

  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola

  • ½ cup unsalted butter

  • 5 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 fresh serrano chiles, minced

  • ½ cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

  • 1 lime 

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

39 grams carbs; 394 milligrams cholesterol; 1184 calories; 35 grams monosaturated fat; 15 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams saturated fat; 87 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1260 milligrams sodium; 61 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

    1. Step 1

      Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano and salt. Coat the chicken thoroughly with the spice mixture. 

    2. Step 2

      In a large cast-iron skillet, combine potatoes and carrots. Add oil, season with salt and toss to coat. Place chicken on top, skin side up. Roast until chicken is cooked through and skin is crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the breast or thigh should read 165 degrees.)

    3. Step 3

      During the last 5 minutes of roasting, in a small skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in serranos and cilantro. Zest the lime into the pan, then halve the lime and squeeze the juice into the sauce. Season with salt to taste.

    4. Step 4

      Drizzle the butter sauce over the chicken and serve.

Tip

  • Spatchcocked, or butterflied, chicken has been split in half with the backbone removed for quicker cooking. They’re often sold alongside whole chickens at the supermarket. You can also ask the butcher to prepare it for you, or follow the simple steps in this recipe.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
374 user ratings
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Comments

M Hammer

I made this for six people and used bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. I roasted the vegetables for 15 minutes before putting the chicken in to roast. Once the thighs were in, I left them for 40 minutes. The skins were crispy and the veggies were perfect. The chicken fat dripping on the vegetables made for delicious potatoes and carrots! I will be making this again

Jose Barajas

Just cooked this exactly as written except used Jalapeños instead of Serranos and cut out the seeds for the kiddos, it is exactly the type of effort-to-result ratio I look for, will definitely make again and again

Nancy

I made this with bone-in chicken breasts. Roasted at 425 for 40 minutes. Needed to roast the potatoes and carrots longer before serving. End result was delicious!

Martha

WOW!!! This was so delicious and very easy. I cooked the potatoes and carrots about 20 minutes before placing 4 bone in/skin on spice rubbed thighs on top and cooking for additional 40 minutes. The carrots got so caramelized. I used 3 big carrots and I didn’t want to share them with anyone. ;-). I also used 1 serrano pepper. I like a little heat but was scared of using 2. I thought the sauce was perfect!!!! I will be making this again and again.

Kris

I LOVE this recipe!! One of the best I’ve tried from NYT!

Mary Young

Absolutely delicious. I cut butter in half ( per comments here), increased carrots and did veggies 10 minutes in advance, one Serrano, one jalapeno. I wish recipes would specify size/quality of limes as the limes here are small, hard and tart so I used two.

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