Roast Chicken With Saffron & Pimenton (Smoked Paprika) |
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Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 60 Minutes |
Ready In: 80 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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This dish is from Spain. For authenticity, you should use Spanish smoked paprika of the variety called Pimenton De La Vera - Not the regular smoked paprika ('Zaar won't let me enter pimenton as an ingredient!) Pimenton De La Vera is a powder made of smoked and ground chili peppers. It is a specific variety of smoked paprika and is produced only in one region in the southwest of Spain. If you don't have access to it, try using the more readily available varieties of smoked paprika. This recipe is from the San Francisco Chronicle (1/10/06). I have not yet prepared it. Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2-4 lb) fresh roasting chickens |
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil |
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced |
1/4 teaspoon saffron thread |
2 teaspoons kosher salt |
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (pimenton de la vera, preferably bittersweet) |
1/2 small orange, in 4 pieces |
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425ยบ. Rinse chicken inside and out, removing excess fat. Pat dry.
2. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-low until the garlic sizzles and begins to fragrance the oil. Remove from heat. When olive oil and garlic mixture is cool, remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set both oil and garlic aside.
3. With a mortar and pestle, pound the saffron threads into a a powder. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the pimenton and the reserved olive oil. Stir until smooth.
4. Pat the inside of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Insert the garlic slices and the orange chunks into the cavity. Using a spatula, slather the chicken with the spiced oil on all sides.
5. Place the chicken with the breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan or in a terra-cotta casserole dish. Roast for 40 minutes. Then turn the chicken breast side up, baste it with the pan juices, and continue roasting until the chicken is browned and the skin is crisp - Approximately 20-30 minutes. The juices should run clear when the thigh is pricked.
6. Allow the chicken to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.
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