Peruvian Roast Chicken

Maybe I say this about a lot of dishes but this time, I mean it: this was the best recipe I've made in a while. 

There are Peruvian chicken restaurants here and there in larger cities, usually tucked away in an otherwise unremarkable corner of a strip mall, serving moist and succulent savory chicken with all the fixins- black beans and rice, grilled plantain, seasoned green beans, a corn fritter.

This recipe achieves the huge yumminess of that chicken at home.  It's not much more work that just throwing some lemon pepper on the bird & cooking, and it is *so* worth it!  

The recipe is from America's Test Kitchen, and I give it to you below as it came to me.  Now here's what I did differently:  

1) Although I did roast a whole "stuffer" size chicken, I may try it on breasts & thighs next time to cut the cooking time.  The leftovers from the whole chicken we very good the next day and could be used in chicken & noodles, chicken salad, tostadas,fried rice with black beans & vegies.

2) True confessions- I didn't let it marinate 6 to 24 hrs. I smeared the seasonings under the skin & popped it straight into the oven.

3)  I'm not a huge mayo fan. But you really do want to make the Spicy Mayo as an accompaniment.  I didn't make my own mayo though; to 1/2 cup Hellman's I added some lime juice, prepared yellow mustard, onion and garlic powders, dried cilantro, kosher salt and jarred pickled jalepenos with a little bit of the jalepeno's vinegar brine. It worked fine.

I served it with a homemade ricearoni-type dish  and steamed broccoli.  Sorry, but I didn't get a photo of the whole chicken. It smelled so good I forgot!

Peruvian Roast Chicken

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

6 medium garlic cloves, chopped 

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon table salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons finely grated zest plus 1/4 cup juice from 2 limes

1 teaspoon minced habanero or serrano chile

1 (3.5 to 4-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded

1 cup Spicy Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

1. Process all the ingredients except the chicken and mayonnaise in a blender until a smooth paste forms, 10 to 20 seconds. Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin covering the breast and thighs; place half of the

paste under the skin, directly on the meat of the breast and thighs. Gently press on the skin to distribute the paste over the meat. Spread the entire exterior surface of the chicken with the remaining paste. Tuck the wings behind the back. Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

2. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a vertical roaster on a

rimmed baking sheet. Slide the chicken onto the vertical roaster so the drumsticks reach down to the bottom of the roaster, the chicken stands upright, and the breast is

perpendicular to the bottom of the pan. Roast the chicken until the skin just begins to turn golden and the thickest part of the breast registers 140 degrees, 45 to 55 minutes.

Carefully remove the chicken and the pan from the ovenand increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.

3. Once the oven has reached 500 degrees, place 1 cup water in the bottom of the baking sheet and continue to roast until the entire chicken skin is browned and crisp,

the breast registers 160 degrees, and the thighs register 175 degrees, about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through roasting.  Check the chicken halfway through roasting; if the top is becoming too dark place a 7" square piece of aluminium foil over the neck and wings of the chicken and continued to roast.  If the pan begins to smoke or sizzle add additional water to the pan.

4.  Carefully remove the chicken from the oven and let rest still on the vertical roaster for 20 minutes. Using 2 large wads of paper towels carefully lift the chicken off the vertical roaster on to a carving board. Carve the chicken and serve serve with Spicy Mayonnaise.

Spicy Mayonnaise

 Makes about 1 cup

If you have concerns about consuming raw eggs, 1/4 cup of an egg substitute can be used in place of the egg.

1 large egg

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 tablespoon juice from 1 lime

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon minced jarred jalapeños

1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

14 teaspoon table salt

1 cup vegetable oil

 Process all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor until combined about 5 seconds. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil in a steady stream until a mayonaise-like consistancy is reached, scraping down the bowl as necessary.