Jalapeño Roast Chicken with Baby Broccoli

Marcela Valladolid’s “Fresh Mexico” makes a clean break with the bready, cheesey, beany Mexican food to which Americans have become accustomed. Below, this chicken recipe calls for simple yet bold flavors.

Jalapeno Roast Chicken with Baby Broccoli

1/2 cup packed fresh oregano leaves

1 shallot

4 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 jalapeño chili, stemmed and seeded

Salt and ground black pepper

5 1/2 pound whole chicken

1 1/2 cups chicken broth, or more if needed

3/4 cup dry white wine

2 pounds broccolini

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In the food processor, combine the oregano, shallot, garlic, butter, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the jalapeno, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Process to form a coarse paste.

Pat the chicken dry, then place it, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the breast, legs and thighs without detaching it. Spread half of the jalapeno paste under the skin.

Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string. Spread the remaining jalapeno paste over the outside of the chicken. Pour the chicken broth and wine into the roasting pan.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes and adding more broth if it begins to dry out.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Arrange the broccolini snugly around the chicken on the rack. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the broccolini, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Return the chicken to the oven, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until a meat thermometer inserted at the innermost part of the thigh (but not touching the bone) registers 160 degrees, or about 30 minutes. Serves 4.