Southwestern Roasted Chicken with Compound Chili Butter

Ingredients

1 each Whole fryer (approx. 3 1/2 lbs)

1 quartered Lime

1/2 bunch Cilantro (with stem and leaves)

4-6 tablespoons Compound butter

2 teaspoons Salt

2 teaspoons Chili powder

Servings: 4

Directions

Remove inner organs and extra fat from inside chicken. Reserve inner organs (fat can be thrown away). Stuff the chicken with the cilantro (stem and all) and the quartered lime pieces. Insert your forefinger between the breast and skin, creating a pocket on each side of the breast, taking care not to break the skin. Insert compound butter, forcing it as far as possible under the chicken skin, reaching all the way to the legs. As much of the compound butter as possible should be forced under the skin without breaking the skin. Skewer whole chicken on the rotisserie spit. With kitchen twine, tie up the legs around the spit. Make sure the chicken is balanced. Place the raw inner organs into ovenproof platter and place under chicken to collect drippings. Turn on rotisserie. Place spit in rearmost position, closest to the burner. Let roast for 30 minutes. Then season with the salt and chili powder. Move spit to the middle position and continue basting and additional 45 minutes, basting often with the drippings. (The chicken must roast with the grill cover closed at all times, only lifting to baste.)

While still on grill, add 1/2 cup of hot water to drippings pan. (Or instead use wine or any meat or vegetable stock.) Let chicken continue to roast another 15 minutes. With an instant reading meat thermometer, insert thermometer between breast and thigh making sure thermometer reaches into joint. Temperature should have reached 165 degrees. Remove chicken and drippings pan. Using a decanter, remove fat from drippings. This liquid can be utilized as gravy for the chicken.

As always, when cooking with chicken, make sure that all equipment that comes into contact with the raw meats gets properly cleaned with antibacterial cleansers (or bleach) to avoid cross-contamination.

Recommendations

If you cook two chickens at once, they should be placed head to head on the spit. This entrée will go well with the black bean or corn salad. Leftover chicken and black bean salad can be turned into great quesadilla. Remove meat from the leftover chicken; add a little pepper jack cheese and some salad—either black bean or corn. Place this mixture onto a 10” flour tortilla and fold in half. Grill to warm up both sides for 2 to 3 minutes.