Chinese 5 spice roast chicken

On my recent trip to Costa Rica our friend’s mother, who authors a very clever blog for seniors made us an amazing roast chicken for dinner one night. We were staying at their vacation home on the beach so there was no option of a large pantry of ingredients, let alone spices, making do with what was around and oddly enough she had some Chinese 5 spice to work with, a bottle of honey and some fresh limes from their neighbor, Gary’s backyard. Three simple ingredients, two Costa Rican free range birds and dinner was a hit that night.

My beekeeper neighbor down the road gave me a bottle of honey a few weeks ago and this morning when I opened the cupboard the honey bear was staring right at me so here I am roasting  chicken for lunch today. Trader Joe’s now sells these organic brined birds, of course they do, it’s a good thing, dry birds are history now as the moisture and salt will always keep the meat juicy and the skin crispy.

Chinese 5 Spice Roast Chicken

juice of 1 lime

2 Tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice powder

1 organic chicken

coarse salt and ground white pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Mix the lime juice, honey and Chinese 5 spice powder in a small bowl. Do not discard the limes after squeezing the juice out of them, instead stuff them in the cavity of the chicken before roasting.

2. Trim any excess fat off of the chicken, especially on the backside, rinse with cold water and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper.

3. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan, breast side up with the wings tucked under its back, and tie the legs together to close the cavity. Pour the spice mixture over the chicken and thoroughly spread all over the bird. Roast at 300° for 1 hour covered with parchment paper tinfoil, until both the thigh and the breast read 150° on a meat thermometer.

4. Periodically keep basting the chicken with the juices that settle at the bottom of the roasting pan. Increase the oven temperature to 400°. Return the chicken to the oven uncovered and roast uncovered until crispy and golden brown for 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers at least 165ºF and the skin is browned. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Tags: brined chicken, chinese 5 spice, chinese roast chicken, roast chicken recipe