Moroccan Spice Roasted Chicken

Great roast chicken – I usually make two at once and then freeze the second for a quick dinner another time.

Ingredients:
1 3 lb roasting chicken
1 large onion
1 head garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp spice rub (mix below – save what you don’t use in a small container for next time)
4 Tbsp butter (softened) or coconut oil to rub on the chicken + 2 Tbsp melted

Spice rub:
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (I used an indian red chile mix I had on hand)
pinch ground cloves

for pan sauce:
pan juices
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
salt to taste
1 Tbsp butter to finish (if desired)

Preheat over to 450 on the convection roast setting if you have it.  I learned in my cooking class you will get a browner skin with convection – who knew? I only thought it was for baking!

In a small bowl combine 4 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp of the spice mixture and blend well.
Loosen the chicken skin by inserting your fingers between it and the flesh of the breast.  Place 1 1/2 tsp of the spiced butter mixture under the skin on each side of the breast.  Truss the chicken, dry the outside well and rub the skin all over with 1 Tbsp of the butter spice mixture.  Season with salt.

Set the chick on a rack or on top of sliced onions in a roasting pan, breast side up and position in oven so legs go in first for even cooking.  Roast it for 15 min.  Remove from the oven and baste with the melted butter or coconut oil.

Reduce oven temp to 350.

Roast the chicken for another 45 min to 1 hour basting occasionally until the chicken is done.  If skin is starting to brown too quickly then cover with tin foil.  The chicken can be held 20 to 30 min in a turned off oven under foil.

Transfer chicken to warm platter.  Remove string and let stand at least 10 min before carving sot eh chicken’s juices will retreat into the tissues.

Chicken is ready when juices run clear from the leg.

Put roasting pan full of pan juices on stove and bring to a boil.  Add 1 cup chicken stock and 1/2 cup white wine and boil until reduced to 1 cup and the sauce is syrup-y.  Turn off heat.  Add salt to taste or even a splash of fish sauce.  Keep sauce warm in the oven with the chicken until you are ready to carve and eat.

Photo credit: jameelwinter, on flickr