Roasted Chicken With Spices - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
1 cinnamon stick, chopped in pieces
8 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lemon, halved
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse chicken with cool water, inside and out - then pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the cinnamon stick, cloves, cayenne, cumin, fennel, coriander and paprika in a dry skillet over low heat and toast for a minute - just to release the fragrant oils - shake pan so spices don't scorch.
In a clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices together with the sea salt and brown sugar.
Massage the chicken skin with the spice rub, making sure you don't miss any spots.
Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
Stuff the lemon halves, cilantro and garlic into the cavity of the chicken.
Place the chicken into a roasting pan, fitted with a rack, and fold the wing tips under the chicken and tie the legs together with kitchen string.
Drizzle oil all over chicken. If you have the time, let the chicken sit for 30 minutes to really let the flavors meld into the chicken.
Roast the chicken for one hour, then check with an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh - if it reads 160 degrees F, then it's done!
Take the chicken out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before carving - so the juices can settle back into the meat.
Squeeze the lemon halves that have cooked inside the chicken over the meat for added wow.