Spicy Roasted Chicken

Last night I used the other whole chicken I bought from Publix when they had a 2 for one sale. I was in the mood for something spicy so I made a spicy rub that I Incorporated into a compound butter.

I love making whole chicken because there are always leftovers to use in another dish, not to mention the home made chicken stock you can make with the carcass.

I realized last night that I make a whole chicken about once to two times a month. Enough for me to rationalize that I need a "V" rack, and a new roasting pan. I will be looking for one this weekend. : )

I didn't go too crazy on the sides because I was plain old tired from work. I always have frozen veggies in the freezer for this very reason. They are a cinch to prepare in minutes, and that is what I wanted last night. I usually buy a bag of frozen peas and carrots, green beans, spinach, broccoli, and a california blend (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli). I used the California blend last night because I love all three of those veggies, and chad will eat the cauliflower and carrots. (one way to get him to eat his veggies ; )

As for the starch we had roasted potatoes, another low maintenance side.

Spicy Compound Butter Rub

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter softened



• 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne (or a little more if you like spicy)



• 1 Tbs. chili powder



• 1 Tbs. cumin



• 1 tsp. dried basil



• 1 tsp. dried oregano



• 1 tsp. garlic powder



• 1/2 tsp. onion powder



• 1 tsp. kosher salt



• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper


• 

Mix all dry ingredients together and add to the softened butter. Mix butter and rub together until Incorporated.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Rinse chicken inside and out (remove giblets and neck from cavity) and pat dry. Rub compound butter all all over the bird and under the skin on both sides (push you fingers under the skin as far as you can go with out ripping). You should have some butter compound left use it to baste the chicken and combine with the potatoes.
Place in pan or in your rack and roast for an hour and fifteen (ovens may vary). My bird was about 4 lbs. Make sure it a meat thermometer reads 180 in the thickest part of the thigh and it will be done. Baste every 20-30 minutes

I cut up 3 yukon potatoes basted them with the butter and threw them in the pan with the chicken the last 1/2 hour of roasting. Easy peasy.

Home Made Chicken Stock

• Take all chicken off the bones and save for later use.



• put carcass and neck bone into a deep pot.



• miripoix (one large onion quartered, 2 carrots chopped, 3 celery stalks chopped with leaves)



• 2 bay leaves



• 1 Tbs. salt



• 2 tsp. peppercorns

Put all ingredients into a big pot and fill with cold water (about an inch from the top). Bring to a boil and turn heat to low and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. The longer it simmer the more intense the flavor. Take off heat transfer to another container and let cool. When cooled the fat will collect at the top and you can skim it off. Separate into containers and use when needed.