Dug out from my archives, this recipe was one of the first new finds that I tried and posted here.
Oh MY.
Served on Hub's birthday with a couple of salads and some roasted yams, this chicken was raved about, the leftovers were fought over, and it was insisted that I must make this again very soon. A spicy rub all over the skin and then right onto the meat, time in the oven to make it nice and juicy with a crispy, flavorful skin, and it was perfection.
Perfection.
For one good sized roast chicken I halved the original recipe. The book says that the rub mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to a month and is a great rub on all sorts of meat for the BBQ, even extra firm tofu. The rub has lots of flavor and yet also has a hint of sweetness.
Adapted from Cook Once a Week-Eat Well Every Day
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive)
2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used maybe 1/8 tsp. It was enough)
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp five spice powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 tbsp coconut milk (optional-I used it, and it was delish!)
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. With your hands, smear all over chicken that has been rinsed and patted dry. Add the coconut milk for a saucier dish (this tends to bake up in a fairly dry sort of rub). Leave the skin on the chicken to keep the meat moist, but then also smear some under the skin as well for flavor. According to the recipe, you can also smear this all over up to 8 bone-in chicken breasts and either let them marinate in a resealable plastic bag for up to three days or freeze them for future use. Make sure you thaw them completely before you bake/BBQ them.
I smeared the chicken all over with the rub and then roasted it, uncovered, at 350 F for about 2 hours, or until a meat thermometer registered 160 F in the thickest part of the breast meat. I occasionally added a tiny bit of water or wine to the bottom of the pan, but the chicken released a lot of juices that I had to pour off so that they didn't poach instead of roast. As you can see, the outside got very nice and crispy.
We then stripped off all the meat and had a tasty meal with enough leftovers for Jake and I to take to school.
I highly recommend this recipe. And, as a side note, the spice rub made up in a pretty jar might be a nice little gift.
