Roast Chicken With Mambo Sauce

This is a perfect summer picnic recipe — not too heavy but so satisfying. Pair this crispy roast chicken with a fresh, punchy salad and bring it to the beach or the park with the family.

Technique tip: For the most accurate temperature on the chicken, insert thermometer into thickest part of the thigh (near the bone).

Ingredients

Mambo Sauce

  • 1 cup canola oil

  • 1/4 cup tomato paste

  • 3/4 cups gochujang

  • 1/4 cup ginger paste

  • 1/4 cup chopped Fresno chiles

  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 3/4 cup white sugar

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce

  • 1 cup pineapple juice

  • 1/2 cup honey

  • 3 cups ketchup

  • 1 lemon, juiced

Roast Chicken

  • 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked (store-bought or butchered)

  • freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

  • kosher salt, to taste

Preparation

Make the mambo sauce:

  1. In a pot, heat the canola oil, tomato paste and gochujang over medium heat. Stir frequently to avoid burning.

  2. Add the ginger paste, Fresno chiles and cayenne pepper and cook until the chiles are tender.

  3. Stir in vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

  4. Add pineapple juice, honey and ketchup. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

  5. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and blend until smooth.

Make the roast chicken:

  1. Preheat oven to 275 F.

  2. Clean and pat chicken dry. Place chicken skin-side up on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Season generously with salt and cracked pepper.

  3. Let chicken rest at room temperature while oven preheats.

  4. Roast on middle rack until internal temp reaches 160 F, 1½ to 2 hours, depending on the size of the bird. Insert thermometer into thickest part of the thigh (near the bone) for the most accurate temperature reading.

  5. Remove and let rest; carryover cooking will bring temp to 165 F.

  6. Now, bring the oven temp up to 450 F.

  7. Once the oven is preheated, take the finished mambo sauce and brush it all over the chicken. Roast in the oven for 4 minutes.

  8. After this first initial roast, take it out of the oven and apply another coating of mambo sauce onto the chicken and roast again for 6 to 8 minutes to achieve a deep caramelized color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before transferring to a serving vessel.

MeatMarcus SamuelssonAmericanChickenDinnerEntertainingPicnicSummerEntrées, American, Chicken, Dinner, Picnic, Entrées