This is a Mexican Inspired Beer Marinaded and Roasted Chicken. After the marinade the chicken gets a spice rub and then rest on a bed of aromatics that sort of steam the chicken. About three-four hours latter or until AT LEAST 165 degrees F the chicken will be done. I don’t usually time the chicken as they all cook up differently. I usually wait till I can smell the chicken and then I know it’s done. I go over the 165 degrees F. I find that if I cook the bird with breast side down it doesn’t dry out. I like the legs extra cooked so the meat just falls off the bone. The flavors are great and the chicken came out moist. I just used a little bit of the juices that ran out of the chicken to serve with the pulled meat. I note that the skin has to be removed unless you finish the chicken in a 425 degree oven for a few minutes but then you risk having dry breast meat (yuk). It’s less risky to just fry up pieces of the chicken once they cool down a bit if you must have crispy skin. At the end of the cooking process for the chicken you are left with this pan of flavorful juices that you MUST USE FOR POTATOES. Scoop out the vegetables and remaining stuff from the pan and add peeled potatoes. Just put in the oven for one hour. One hour latter you have these FORKING AMAZING POTATOES. They come out like un-fried Fondant Potatoes. Really eloquent but also very homey. Really creamy and moist inside. Just season them with some paprika, salt and pepper.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

1 chicken

2 bay leaves – (marinade)

1 12oz lager (beer) – (marinade)

1/4 cup garlic confit – (marinade)

1 jalapeno – chopped – (marinade)

1/2 onion sliced thin – (marinade)

1 lime – cut in quarters – (marinade)

1 teaspoon cumin – (marinade)

1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika – (marinade)

1 teaspoon sweet paprika – (marinade)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper – (marinade)

1 teaspoon sea salt – (marinade)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper – (marinade)

1 oz fresh cilantro – (marinade)

1 bay leaf – (vegetable bed)

1 onion – rough chopped – (vegetable bed)

1 apple – rough chopped – (vegetable bed)

1 orange – rough chopped – (vegetable bed)

2 carrots – rough chopped – (vegetable bed)

2 celery ribs – rough chopped – (vegetable bed)

1/2 oz epazote – (vegetable bed)

1 jalapeno – (vegetable bed)

21 cloves garlic – smashed – (vegetable bed)

1/2 cup water – (vegetable bed)

2 Tablespoons ground annatto – (rub)

3 Tablespoons granulated garlic – (rub)

2 Tablespoons kosher salt – (rub)

1 Tablespoon ground black pepper – (rub)

1 Tablespoon dried oregano – (rub)

8 dinner sized brown skinned potatoes – peeled

fresh crushed sea salt – (for potatoes)

fresh ground black pepper – (for potatoes)

8 shakes of sweet paprika – (for potatoes)

Directions

The beer, two bay leaves, garlic confit, 1 jalapeño, half onion, lime squeezed, cumin, paprika(s), 1/2 t.cayenne, 1 t. sea salt, 1/2t. black pepper, fresh cilantro and the chicken go in a marinating bag for at least four hours and up to over night.

Make the bed of vegetables. They go in a large baking dish or half pan. In the pan goes 1 bay leaf, onion, apple, orange, carrots, celery, epazote, jalapeño, garlic and a 1/2 cup of water.

When you are ready to cook the chicken (marinate at least 4 hours or up to over night). Set the oven to 350 degrees F.

Removed the chicken from the marinade and blot dry and put to the side.

Prepare the rub by getting a small mixing bowl and adding the ground annatto, granulated garlic, ground black pepper, kosher salt and dried oregano. Mix well.

Apply the rub to the chicken all over and also inside the cavity.

Fill the cavity from the vegetable bed.

Put the chicken breast side down on the vegetable bed.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Put in the oven till inside the thigh is at least 165 degrees. (I go to 180 usually…but I don’t eat the skin and I prefer the dark meat to fall off the bone…at 180 the breast meat will still be moist this way) This might take 3-4 hours. Every Chicken does cook different. I can usually tell when it’s done by just the aroma.

When the chicken is done remove it from the pan and set on a platter or pan to rest for an hour.

Scoop out all the solid stuff from this pan with a slotted spoon and discard the solid stuff.

Add peeled potatoes, cover the pan with foil and put pan back in the 350 degree oven and one hour later these potatoes should be perfect.

Pull out the potatoes from the hot liquid to serve.

Sprinkle the potatoes with sea salt, black pepper and sweet paprika.

Not so pretty but it’s a #ForkYeah !