Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken

For the past two years a group of cooks who hang out on the slow travel community message board have been cooking together on Sundays. We've baked treats from Gina dePalma's wonderful baking cookbook Doce Italiano, churned ice cream from the Perfect Scoopby David Lebovitz, tossed salads, ladled soups, and served up tasty small bites. For our next foray into the kitchen we've decided to focus on supper dishes. We have identified a number of categories and each week one of the group selects a recipe for the rest of us to make.

The thing I like about this is that it essentially forces you to try something that you might otherwise not even attempt - we all have our 'comfort zone' as cooks and we tend to not stray from it. Over the past few years I've tried so many different recipes that I'd likely not had given a second glance to had they not been the 'recipe of the week'. In most cases I've LOVED them.

Sadly, I don't think anyone loved the blue cheese ice cream, but I digress.

However, for forcing me to expand my food comfort zone  . . . I raise a glass of the wonderful 2007 Pinot I picked up at Malivoire yesterday! They say the 2007 reds are the best vintage ever for Niagara and the ones we tried yesterday were BRILLIANT!

Anyway. This week's recipe was selected by Amy who is one of the moderators. You can catch Amy's blog, Destination Anywhere. Amy modified the recipe from the one she found at Simply Recipes (one of my favourite food blogs). The category was Roast and the recipe was for smoked paprika roast chicken.

We enjoyed this roast chicken last night for dinner. We used a chicken we had bought in the US in the morning for $ 0.79/lb. For some odd reason a similar sized chicken here in Canada was about $ 20 yet the American bird only $ 4.89. Since this was a 6 lb bird it did take more than the time given in the recipe.

We used smoked paprika (Pimenton de la Vera) imported from Spain. The brand was La Chinata. We have two tins - one hot and one sweet (it isn't sweet at all, just not spicy hot IMHO). This stuff is amazing . . . the color is a gorgeous deep red that spreads through any dish. It has an beguiling smoky aroma that comes from the slow oak smoking process that is guaranteed to add a fascinating depth to any dish you add it to.

Happily a local grocery chain was bought out by a chain from Quebec. Soon after the transition all sorts of wonderful things started to appear on the shelves. The pimeton de la vera being one of them.

I noticed when we were across the border that both of the main grocery stored had smoked paprika in the spice section. I believe it was McCormick brand. (The McCormick website had an interesting recipe for smoked paprika roasted salmon that I printed off to try).

Because we had both sweet and hot I used a tablespoon of each - I'm glad that I didn't use 2 tablespoons of the hot because the heat would have overwhelmed the other flavours.

We had a 'naked' lemon (lemon that has been zested to an inch of its life) that was withering in the fridge so I quartered it and stuffed it in the cavity as well.

This was a great chicken! I've done a whole chicken on the BBQ many times but I don't think I've roasted an actual chicken in the oven since my university residence days (now that is a tale that I shall not go into here). I know that I shall be making this again (and using the rub for grilled chicken when I dare venture outside to fire up the BBQ again).

We served the chicken with some leftover mashed potatoes (after a day across the border and wine tasting in Niagara I was happy to bring out leftovers) and amazing ginger roasted parsnips.

Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken

2 Tbsp smoked paprika (plus a bit more for inside the chicken)
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp softened butter
2 teaspoons garlic salt (or 1 teaspoon salt plus 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 whole 4-5 pound roasting chicken
1 onion, quartered

Preheat oven to 325°F. Rinse the chicken off. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels (otherwise the paste won't stick).

Mix together the paprika, honey, lemon juice, butter, garlic salt, and pepper. Spread it over the entire surface of the chicken, then place chicken on a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle a bit of paprika into the cavity, and place the cut onion in the cavity.

Bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or more. You may need to adjust the time depending on how big your chicken is. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165-170°F for the breast and 180-185°F for the thigh. I like to cover the breast with foil for part of the time so it doesn't dry out.

Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carve and serve.

Comments

[Amy]

Glad you enjoyed it, Jerry! Always somewhat nerve-wracking to suggest an unproven recipe! But I also love the smoked paprika, and thought the flavors would work with roasted chicken.

Would your college roast chicken be related to my former roommate's who didn't know about the little paper sack of guts inside the bird?

Also, I'd love to get that gingered parsnips recipe when you have time. Thanks.

[Chris]

I'm also really interested in the gingered parsnips recipe, Jerry!

[Candi]

It was a great recipe. Like you I used half smoked sweet and half smoked hot paprika. Only the Fresh Market smoked hot paprika was not that firey, has a kick no doubt, but not like what you are describing with your brand.

[Eden]

You and Candi both used the hot paprika. I will find some of that and try that next time.

BTW, I love the zin glass inscription. :)

[nancyhol]

Great-looking chicken, Jerry!

By the way, I DID like the blue cheese ice cream!

[JDeQ]

I'll post the parsnips today - they were amazing.

Eden - we got those glasses at Four Vines in Paso Robles. Marcia, David, Kathy, Paul, and I went for an early morning taste there and I couldn't resist. Somehow it seems rather appropriate for me.