Whole Spice Rubbed Chicken With Roasted Garlic And Lemons Recipes

WHOLE SPICE-RUBBED CHICKEN WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND LEMONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Cook the chicken and garlic: Rub the outside of the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt. Use a fine-mesh strainer to sprinkle an even layer of the paprika and mustard over the whole chicken. Transfer to a shallow baking pan or rimmed baking sheet fitted with a roasting rack and roast for 15 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and loosely cover the top of the chicken with a piece of foil. In a small bowl, toss the garlic with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt. Arrange the garlic around the chicken. Roast until the chicken juices run clear or the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F to 165 degrees F, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• While the chicken is roasting, cook the lemons: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and the lemons with 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks and fennel seeds. Simmer until the liquid becomes slightly syrupy, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar and cook over medium heat until the lemons become tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 30 to 35 minutes. Allow the lemons to sit in the hot liquid for 15 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon. On a flat surface, cut each lemon into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Remove the seeds. Set the slices aside in some of the cooking liquid to keep them moist until ready to serve.
• Finish the dish: Arrange the chicken on a serving platter with the garlic around it. Put the baking pan on a burner and simmer any chicken cooking juices over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the drained lemon slices. Return the heat to medium low, taste for seasoning and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Spoon the sauce and lemons around the chicken and roasted garlic.

LEMON-PEPPER ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine lemon-pepper, garlic salt, black pepper, thyme, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Slice 2 lemons into rounds for stuffing; reserve 1 for juice.
• Place both chickens in a roasting pan, not touching. Squeeze 1 lemon over both chickens, making sure juice coats evenly. Split sliced lemons, celery, green onions, and garlic in half and stuff each chicken. Use cooking string to tie legs together, making sure legs are facing up. Pat dry rub all over chickens.
• Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Rotate the pan and baste chicken with juices. Continue to bake, basting often, for 50 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and continue to baste and bake until juices run clear and chickens are no longer pink in the centers, about 40 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

SPICE RUBBED ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine the salt, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne and lemon zest in a bowl. Wash the chicken and pat very dry. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken. Set the chicken on a plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours (to dry out the skin and promote crisp skin).
• When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Stuff the chicken with the lemon quarters, garlic and bay leaves. Arrange the onion slices to make a bed for the chicken in a large cast-iron skillet. Set the chicken on the onions and tuck the wings tips under the chicken's body. Brush the chicken all over with the melted butter.
• Roast the chicken, basting once halfway through with the pan juices, until the skin is crisp and golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh (do not touch bone) reads 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Let rest at least 10 minutes before carving.