Spice Rubbed Chicken

I love to make something a little slower on Sunday nights. It's a bonus if the time it takes pays off in leftovers for later in the week. One of my favorite Sunday night indulgences is a roasted chicken. I am always trying new recipes and I have found many that I love. Last night, I made this version of my old staple and the boys all loved it. Jacob loved the dark meat and Lucas the light and I was happy that there was plenty left over to pack in school lunches or wrap in a tortilla for myself later this week. I served the chicken for dinner with the pineapple sweet potatoes (just baked them longer at this lower temperature) and some green beans.



Spice Rubbed Chicken (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, October 2008)

Timing - two and a half hours

Ingredients
4 cups thickly sliced or quartered red, white, and/or yellow onions, and/or boiling or ciopollini onions, peeled
1 5-to-6-lb. whole roasting chicken
1 t sugar
1 t garlic powder
1 t ground cumin
1 t paprika
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t ground nutmeg
2 T olive oil

How to Make
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large shallow roasting pan, place half the onions in an even layer. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt; set aside. Tuck wings under back of the chicken. In small bowl, combine sugar and remaining seasonings. Brush chicken all over with oil. Sprinkle spice mixture and rub in with fingers. Place chicken, breast side up, on onions in pan. Loosely cover with foil.

Roast chicken for 1 hour. Remove foil. Add remaining onions to pan. Roast, covered, for an additional 30 minutes. Remove foil and roast 30 to 45 minutes more or until drumsticks move easily in their sockets and chicken is no longer pink. Cover with foil and let chicken stand 15 minutes before carving. Serve chicken with roasted onions.