Yesterday I featured a Thanksgiving staple – the turkey. Today, I’ve got a great, simple recipe for another whole bird – one you may be a bit more familiar with – the chicken. I absolutely love roasting a chicken whole – the crispy skin, the juicy inside, and different parts to suit everyone’s tastes. The leftovers are also great for chicken salad for lunch the next day.

When I first saw the combination of spices in this recipe, I thought it might be a bit too ‘gingerbreadish’, but they work so well together. I also added some of my own choice spices, because God forbid I leave a recipe alone. There is a bit of effort involved during the roasting process, but I guarantee it will be worth it.

Whole Roasted Spiced Chicken
Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 whole chicken (4 pounds or so)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 cloves crushed garlic
1 small onion or scallion

In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar and spices. Rub the chicken with the mixture. Cover chicken, and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours (I’ll be honest, I only had two hours and it was still amazing).

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Stuff the chicken cavity with the garlic and onion or scallion. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C), and continue roasting 15 minutes. Baste chicken with pan drippings, reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C), and continue roasting 30 minutes, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

Turn the chicken breast side up to serve (you’ll have some nice ‘grill marks’ for presentation.

This is so yummy and will definitely become a weekly special at your home like it has ours. Enjoy!

-Monica