Chickity China The Roasted Chicken

Roasted chicken is an excellent centerpiece of a Sunday dinner or other nicer gathering. No, you won’t serve it to your bros during the next football game. But you know what? It might come in handy if you want to impress your sweetheart’s parents. I’m just sayin…

This recipe takes the fun up a notch from standard recipes you’ll find out there. The Asian spices add a impressive touch without adding complexity. Don’t worry, though. While I normally serve it with a rice dish, you can still serve it with mashed potatoes.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

One whole roasting chicken (that means a big one)
1/2 cup thin Teriyaki sauce (more like a dip; not watery)
3 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon Chinese 5-spice powder
1-1/2 teaspoons grated FRESH ginger (Do NOT use powdered ginger!)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed, then finely minced
1 green onion, including green parts, finely minced

Instructions:

Wash chicken and pat dry. Then, pat dry again, just to be certain.

Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Place in Roasting pan or 13×9 baking dish.

Bake at 350° for thirty minutes.

While chicken is cooking, combine all remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside 2 to 3 Tablespoons for the end.

Remove chicken from oven and reduce temperature to  325°. Brush chicken with sauce and return to oven.

Continue roasting chicken for another 40 minutes, basting the bird every ten minutes. Be as quick as you can with the basting, as the longer you leave the oven door open, the more heat you will lose.

When done, remove chicken from oven and let stand for ten to fifteen minutes.

Carve breast quarters from chicken, and cut off leg quarters. (Get rid of the twine first.) If anyone is into them, remove wings as well.

Each person gets either a leg quarter or a breast. Let your guests choose first; you get whatever is left. And don’t complain!

Drizzle each portion with a little of the reserved sauce.

Note: After you’ve tried this recipe as explained above, if you want it to be a bit hotter, you can add some cayenne pepper to the sauce. But be careful. You don’t want to singe your guests’ eyebrows, OK?

As I said, I like to serve this for meals that are a bit more “important,” if you will… Sunday dinners, etc. So chances are I’ll serve a salad course, then accompany the chicken with a rice dish and a nice green vegetable, such as steamed broccoli. A word to the wise: don’t get fancy with the vegetable, as it may then compete with the chicken, and that is NOT a good thing.

So, the next time you want to serve a bit fancier dinner, try this one out. Don’t forget to let me know how it went, OK? Have fun and, as always,

Play with your food!

Lane

Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.

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