Divorce Chicken

After Engagement Chicken and then Marry Me Chicken came (at least for me) divorce. The idea for this divorce chicken was born from an irreverent reply I gave when someone brought up the forever-trending marry me chicken recipe. This recipe I developed over time mostly so I could have a counter-point to the wedding bell bird.

The flavors of this, my Divorce Chicken, are inspired by some of the travels I did in the wake of my divorce. You can thank my Eat, Pray, Love journey for this one.

Marry Me Chicken Recipe

A whole chicken is roasted in a very Moroccan-inspired spice paste that includes the warm notes of cinnamon and cumin. It is cast iron roasted because you may have lost your sheet pans or roasting tray in the divorce, but that shouldn't slow you down from making this comfort food. The carrot salad is a round-the-world (but most especially the South East Asia part) dream loaded with fresh herbs, citrus, and laced with spicy Korean gochujang. And, unlike marriages, this recipe will work out more than 50% of the time.

The only equipment you need to make this recipe are what I also consider to be my top five kitchen tools. These are what you should shop for immediately upon getting your own place, or, better yet, ask for on a divorce gift registry (it's not a thing, but it very much should be a thing).

I wanted a whole roasted chicken for this recipe because it's enough to serve four, so you can feel free to invite over a few close friends to celebrate the sanctity of your new-found-happiness (I promise you'll get there) or to bring to someone you know going through their own separation. Alternatively, if you're still in the throws of it and need your alone time, this roast chicken can be eaten directly over the counter, with your hands, along with a nice, cold glass of *literally any drink* to get you through.

A Couple Chicken Tips

• To make applying the spice mix under the skin of the chicken easier, once you have patted the chicken dry, use your fingers to separate the skin a bit from the breast and leg and thigh meat. Then you can go in with the spice paste and application will be much easier.
• Also, rather than roasting a whole chicken you can prepare this recipe using a quartered chicken or with your favorite chicken parts that are bone in, skin on if you want to avoid the carving process.

A Note On Cooking With Fresh Citrus

• Depending on the sweetness of the orange used, you may want to increase the sweetness of the dressing with the addition of a little honey or white or brown sugar. Sweetness helps dampen spice, so it’s also a good trick if you find that the dressing is too spicy for your liking— the addition of a little honey or sugar will help to cut some of the heat.
• Depending on the ripeness of the orange or limes you happen to have, one citrus may yield slightly more or less juice than called for in this dressing recipe. For that reason, it’s always good to buy one or two extra fruits any time a recipe calls for fresh citrus, in case you happened to grab a dried out lime or dud of an orange and need back up.