Sunday, December 2, 2012

Chipotle-Cinnamon Chicken

My brother-in-law and his family came over for dinner last night. It was the first time since Easter we have shared a meal. With my husband working out of town during the week and my sister-in-law working strange, shift hours we do not get much time with each other. 

When I did the marketing the day before, I bought a seven and half pound whole frying chicken. It was actually bigger and cheaper than buying a roasting chicken.

What is the difference between a roaster and fryer? Not much, a fryer is younger and weights less. Most frying chickens are 7 to 13 weeks old. A roasting chicken is 3 to 5 months old, and given the time to pack on more weight. In chicken terms, I would be a roaster. *smile*

Last night, I roasted my frying chicken. I used a combination of several recipes to make chipotle-cinnamon chicken rub. It turned out to be one the best-roasted chickens I have cooked in a long time.

 I use a stand up roaster and cooked the bird for twenty minutes a pound at 400°F. Make sure you use a meat thermometer and the temperature of the breast meat is at least 160°F. I rubbed garlic, olive oil on the chicken before coating it with seasonings. The chicken turned out a little sweet with a little bite of spice as an after taste.

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, or half a Knoor brand mini chipotle cube
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon garlic powder