Spice Roasted Chicken x BHM Potluck

One of the very first dishes I "mastered" when I began my culinary journey in earnest was the classic, beloved, roasted chicken. Growing up, you'd be hard pressed to find a kitchen that didn't have some variation and ode to this home-cooking staple. But what I set out to perfect was not your grandmother's roasted chicken.

Upon finding my stride with the technique of yielding a crispy skin, coupled with moist, tender white and dark meat, I fell in love with the seeming ease of bringing this dish together with varying flavor profiles. Stuffing the cavity with herbs and aromatics, seasoning abundantly, lathering the skin with compound butters, and more, my roasted chicken earned a place all its own in my cooking repertoire. And my friends and family will attest that it makes its appearance as the star of many a dinner party and holiday meal.

So as I contemplated what I wanted to share for the, now annual, Black History Month Virtual Potluck, roasted chicken was a natural choice. **See the full 2019 BHM Potluck lineup below, following the recipe!

Being the self-proclaimed "Spice Girl" that I am, I decided to bring some of my favorite spices to the flavor profile. I made a chili-spiced compound butter with chipotle chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and kosher salt. The yield was a deep burnished color (like chili!), crispy skin, and tender moist chicken infused with flavor, from the inside- out.

And for an extra special touch, I threw chopped vegetables into the roasting pan to roast alongside the chicken, while absorbing the flavor of the chicken juices. Umm-umm, good and an easy meal-in-one that also happens to be one of my favorite ways to serve this dish.

Make it and prepare to add it to your cooking rotation again and again.

Happy Eating!

Spice Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken (3 to 4 lbs.)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large onion, quartered

1 lemon, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved with skin on
1 teaspoon ground chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for additional seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetables (sweet potatoes, fennel, and carrots), peeled and chopped

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine butter, spices and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small dish. Set aside.

Place chicken in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with onion, lemon, and garlic. Rub the chicken with the spice butter and gently lift the skin over the breast and tuck butter underneath. (Be careful not to tear the skin.) Season the chicken all over with additional salt and black pepper. Tuck the wings under and tie the legs together.

Spread the root vegetables in the roasting pan to form a bed around the chicken. Place chicken in the preheated oven and roast for thirty minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and roast for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the internal temperature from the thigh reads 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 10-20 minutes. Carve and serve with the vegetables. Enjoy!

Black History Month Virtual Potluck, 2019

Beautiful Eats & Things | Okra, Corn, & Tomato Chicken Stew

Beyond The Bayou Blog | Mackerel Balls With Biscuits & Cane Syrup

B Sugar Mama | Red Beans and Rice

Butter Be Ready | Caribbean- Curry Goat with Rice and Peas

Cooks with Soul | Boudin balls

D.M.R. Fine Foods | Spice Roasted Chicken

Dash of Jazz | Soul Food Power Bowl

Dish it with Tisha | Jamaican Curry Chicken

Domestic Dee | Chicken Sliders

Eat.Drink.Frolic. | Bourbon + sweet potato pie

First and Full | Homemade Peach Pie