via allrecipes.com
I’ve made this twice now, and if you love the flavor of Rotisserie chicken, you have to try this recipe. It’s probably the best roast chicken recipe I’ve ever made at home, and so easy. I put the rub on the chicken and let it sit overnight. Rather than 2 chickens, I do one 7-8 lb chicken. Since I usually buy them when they’re on a hella sale, I often buy more than one chicken. This last time, I made a double batch of the rub, put it on both chickens, but wrapped one up and put it in the freezer so I can just defrost and roast.
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
* 4 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 1 teaspoon onion powder
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 teaspoon white pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 2 onions, quartered
* 2 (4 pound) whole chickens
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place 1 onion into the cavity of each chicken. Place chickens in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
3. Place chickens in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving.
I followed the directions pretty much exactly, though the comments on allrecipes.com discuss leaving out white pepper, since many people don’t have that. I do, so I used it, but the first time I didn’t. No basting is needed of this recipe, but I poked the chicken with about 45 minutes left to go (I poked a thigh) to release some juices, and basted to give it a nice, juicy look. I recommend doing this. Once it’s done, if you want to make gravy, just poke it a few times and the juices will flow out. Yummy!
I served with either mashed potatoes or Pioneer Woman’s Crash Potatoes, and some green beans. This is a great recipe to cook for a Sunday meal!