More Than Perfect Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken

 

Yesterday I ran to the store without a clue as to what to cook.  I found myself in front of the most beautiful organic chickens and I just had to buy a whole chicken.  I wanted to make something not too complicated.

I pulled my recipe binder and found a recipe that was pretty close to what I had in mind.  I added a few new ingredients and delete some I didn’t like.   Once the chicken was done I started to get a little worried… I wasn’t sure if this was a good recipe… so I told myself, if no one likes it I can always make something else with it… So served the chicken and then…

I heard John said… “honey, this chicken is really good!!”

So for now on this is the “only” chicken recipe I’m using for everything.

 

Inspired by Gourmet, December 2000

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1  3-pound roasting chicken
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon chile pepper powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Rinse chicken.  Pat dry and season inside and out with one teaspoon salt.  Using a mortar and pestle mash garlic, chile pepper powder, garlic powder, cumin, butter and remaining salt.  Rub 2 tablespoons butter mixture over chicken.

Put chicken in a buttered roasting pan.  Roast 45 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and brush top and sides of bird with remaining butter mixture.  Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.  (cover chicken with foil if it gets too brown).  Let chicken stand 20 minutes before carving.