Prairie-Rubbed Spiced Brined Roast Chicken

Now, making a roast chicken always makes the house smell fabulous... But the one I made yesterday was particular awesome. I recently bought a new roasting pan from Kohl's. It was from the Food Network brand, so I found a very interesting roast turkey recipe included in the packaging. I didn't want to try it on a full turkey since that we're moving into the turkey-eating season, so I thought I'd try it with a chicken. I was a little nervous about some of the flavor combinations being a bit too strong, but I'm so glad I gave it a shot.

Wow! It was flavorful, and because I brined it, it was so moist. I made a pan gravy to go with it, but honestly, it didn't need it. Though it certain was a delicious addition.

I served the chicken and gravy with some roasted vegetables (Enough veggies for everyone eating, cut up into equally-sized pieces, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, and any dried herbs you want, and then roasted at 425ºF for 18-20 minutes). I added some turnips as an experiment, and we were really pleased with the results. They had enough of a starchy quality that we didn't miss another starch at all. Though I'm sure a little bread would have been good for some sopping up of the gravy and other drippings.

I'm going to post the recipe I used, so it's a variation on the original roast turkey one. If you're interested in the turkey recipe for your Thanksgiving Day feast, let me know, and I'll post it.

I used the butter that was called for in the recipe to brush on the chicken, but I wonder if maybe oil would have worked better. The skin was not crisp. Though I think perhaps roasting the chicken tented with aluminum foil may have contributed to that. I'm going to try not tenting the chicken next time (I don't usually tent my other roast chickens, just thought I'd try what the recipe called for this time) and see if that helps. If it doesn't, then I'm going back to oil.

The Prairie Rub makes a lot, so you'll have it available for future chickens and any other recipe into which you feel like tossing it.

Oh, and I can't seem to ever remember to take a picture of my roast chickens. I promise to try harder to remember next time.

Prairie-Rubbed Spiced Brined Roast Chicken

For the brine:
10 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken, excess fat trimmed and giblets removed

Before roasting the chicken:
1 medium onion, quartered
1 head garlic, halved
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Prairie Rub:
3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons dried minced garlic
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon dried minced orange peel
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Brine: A day before serving, heat 4 cups of water, salt and sugar in a stockpot, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove from heat, add remaining water and stir. Cool to room temperature. Lower chicken into brine. Cover and refrigerate 12 hours or overnight.

Rub: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. If you have one, pulse mixture in a spice grinder in a few batches until finely ground (It's not a big deal if you don't). Seal in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months.

Heat oven to 350ºF. Drain and pat chicken very dry inside and out. Place onion, garlic and bay leaves inside the cavity. Set bird breast-side up on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Brush with butter and spread entire bird with enough Prairie Rub to cover evenly.

Roast chicken for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until an instant-read thermometer registers at least 165ºF in the thigh of the bird. Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside to rest 20 minutes.

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Roast Chicken Pan Gravy

Once bird has been removed from roasting rack, pour drippings into a heat-proof measuring cup. Let cool long enough for the fat to rise to the top. Skim off 2 tablespoons, add back to the roasting pan, and discard the rest of the separated fat. Combine the remaining drippings with 1 1/2 cups chicken broth.

Place roasting pan over medium-high heat (you'll need both burners turned on). Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in drippings and broth, bring it to a boil, and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.