poultry essentials: spicy roasted half chicken

How To Make poultry essentials: spicy roasted half chicken

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  PREP/PREPARE
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  You will need a rimmed baking sheet, and some parchment paper. If you have a wire rack, use it; however, it is not a “must have.”
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  Brining I would recommend brining the chicken after it is cut in half. Use about two quarts of water, and 2 – 3 tablespoons of kosher salt. Then place in the fridge and soak for about 2 hours. Rinse, pat dry, and complete the recipe. Note: If you are saving the other half by freezing, do not brine that half, or the meat will be a bit mushy after defrosting and cooking, and will actually taste a bit like ham, but not in a good way :-)
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  Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
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  Whisk all of the spice ingredients together in a bowl, and reserve.
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  Cutting a Whole Chicken in Half The process is not that hard, all you need is a good pair of kitchen shears. You could also accomplish this with a good kitchen knife. The other thing you will need is a whole chicken. Please make sure that the chicken is actually dead before starting.
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  Turn the chicken over and cut out the backbone by cutting on either side. Do not throw it away, freeze and use for making stocks or stews.
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  Turn the chicken over and press on the center of the breast to flatten it out.
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  Cut through the chicken going between the breasts. Compared to cutting out the backbone, this part is easy/peasy.
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  If you are only doing one half, properly wrap and store the other half in the freezer until needed.
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  At this point, you can brine the chicken (not necessary, but I would recommend it).
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  THE CHICKEN
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  Take some of the spice mix, rub it under the skin of the chicken, then place uncovered in the fridge for an hour or two.
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  Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 365f/185c.
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  Remove the chicken from the fridge and brush the remainder of the spice mix all over.
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  Put on the parchment-lined baking sheet, skin side up, and surround with some root veggies, if using. Then sprinkle the hot paprika over the chicken, and maybe a bit on the veggies.
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  Place into the preheated oven and bake until just starting to give you a hint of browning, about 30 – 35 minutes.
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  Lower the oven temperature to 350f/175c and continue to bake until the chicken is nice and browned, and the internal temperature reads 165f/75c, about an additional 12 – 14 minutes.
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  PLATE/PRESENT
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  Serve rustic at the table, or precut portions, and plate with the veggies. Enjoy.
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  The bottom of the baking pan will hold some yummy juices from the cooking bird. Before serving, brush those pan juices over the chicken and the veggies. That will really take this dish over the top.
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  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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