Spicy, Bake Whole Chicken Recipe To Make For Meal Prep

Ingredients:

4-5 lb whole chicken

6 garlic cloves

1/2 c hot sauce, see my arbol hot sauce

Seasoned salt:

• 2 T kosher salt

• 1-1/2  t cumin

• 2 t garlic powder

• 1 T chili powder

• 1 T paprika

• 1 t freshly ground black pepper

Tools needed:

Cast iron skillet

Thermometer

Pastry brush

Sauce ramekin

Mixing bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

Butchers twine

Scissors

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove innards from the chicken, discard.

Make seasoned salt, rub onto the entire chicken (don’t forget to add a pinch to the cavity). Add the garlic cloves into the cavity.

Place chicken on cast iron skillet, tie legs together with butchers twine if desired.

Place chicken into the oven. Set timer for 30 minutes. Once the 30 minutes is done, remove chicken from the oven and baste chicken with hot sauce all over. Place back into the oven, set timer for another 30 minutes. Once again, remove chicken from oven and baste chicken with hot sauce. Check the temperature of the chicken in the deepest part of the breast to give you an idea of how much longer the chicken needs to bake for. If it needs to bake longer, place in the oven for another 30 minutes (that was the time in my oven). Once the chicken is done and is 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the deepest part of the breast, let chicken rest on the counter top for 20 minutes. I baste the chicken one final time when it is done baking and resting. In total, I baste the chicken 3 times. This gives the chicken a nice, caramelized outside that is full of flavor. It looks dark, but it is beautifully caramelized. If you don’t like deep caramelization, baste the chicken once when the chicken is about 30 minutes to being fully cooked. If you want the skin crispy, skip the last basting when the chicken is resting. Carve the chicken as desired and enjoy. Goes great served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

-Logan