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You’ll feel really triumphant carrying this lustrous bird from oven to table, perfuming the air with commanding aromas of smoke and roast. And why not make two while you’re at it? The second involves scarcely any more work, and the leftovers are wonderful shredded into pasta or sliced up for sandwiches with a little mayonnaise and extra salsa. In the summer you can cook the chicken in a closed kettle grill over a drip pan, coals banked to the sides. If a whole bird’s not for you, feel free to substitute 6 bone-in chicken breast halves; they should be done in about 25 to 30 minutes.
Serves 4
1 whole chicken, about 3 1/4 pounds
2 cups Frontera Chipotle Salsa or Frontera Tangy Two-Chile Salsa
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
Watercress, flat-leaf parsley or fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Rinse the chicken, pat dry with paper towels and place in a non-aluminum pan or in a large plastic food bag. Spoon on (or measure in) half of the salsa and turn the chicken to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a roasting pan; reserve the marinade that’s left behind in pan or bag. Brush the chicken with the oil, set in the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Mix the honey with the reserved marinade and drizzle over the chicken. Return to the oven and roast until the thigh juices run clear when pierced deeply with a fork (an instant-read thermometer should register about 170° when inserted at the thickest part of the thigh), about 15 minutes more. If the chicken browns quickly, loosely cover with foil during the last few minutes of roasting.
Use a large fork and a spatula to help you transfer the chicken to a plate. Loosely tent with foil and let stand while you prepare the sauce. Spoon the rendered fat off the juices that have collected in the pan, then stir in the remaining salsa. Set over medium heat and stir, scraping up all the delicious browned bits in the pan, as the salsa comes to a simmer. Scrape the warm salsa into a sauce dish. Carve the chicken and arrange on a warm serving platter. Garnish with the watercress, parsley or cilantro and you’re ready to serve, passing the sauce separately for each guest to spoon on.
Recipe from Salsas That Cook by Rick Bayless with JeanMarie Brownson and Deann Groen Bayless. Photo by Gentl & Hyers.
RELATED PRODUCTS: cookbooks, Frontera salsa
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