Sweet & Spicy Roasted Chicken

Brine your hens for at least 1 hour or overnight. To make the brine, I simmered for 20 minutes – 2 quarts water, 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons peppercorn and 1 bay leaf. I removed it from the heat to let it COMPLETELY cool – I used ice to speed up the process. Then I added the chicken to brine in the fridge. Blend together habanero, garlic, green onion and ginger using an immersion blender or countertop blender. Add to a bowl along with the remaining ingredients for the rub – mix until it becomes a paste. When you remove the chicken from the brine, ensure it is COMPLETELY patted dry – this helps the skin become crispy. Then add the rub all over the chicken. I like to add the chicken to individual sealable bags to marinate for another hour (or up to overnight in the fridge).

📝 Ingredients

• 2 habanero peppers
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 green onion stalks (mostly green part)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons allspice
• 1 tablespoon achiote pepper OR smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or neutral flavored oil)
• 3 Cornish hens (or 2 broiler chickens)
• fresh tarragon (or parsley)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Brine your hens for at least 1 hour or overnight. To make the brine, I simmered for 20 minutes – 2 quarts water, 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons peppercorn and 1 bay leaf. I removed it from the heat to let it COMPLETELY cool – I used ice to speed up the process. Then I added the chicken to brine in the fridge.
2. 2Blend together habanero, garlic, green onion and ginger using an immersion blender or countertop blender. Add to a bowl along with the remaining ingredients for the rub – mix until it becomes a paste.
3. 3When you remove the chicken from the brine, ensure it is COMPLETELY patted dry – this helps the skin become crispy. Then add the rub all over the chicken. I like to add the chicken to individual sealable bags to marinate for another hour (or up to overnight in the fridge).
4. 4Set grill or oven to 400F. Note: I used a Rotisserie so I lowered and raised the chicken depending on the heat of the fire/coals/wood.
5. 5OVEN: add chicken to a baking rack inside a baking tray. Roast for about 1 hour or until the thermometer on the chicken reaches 160F in the thickest part of the chicken.
6. 6GRILL: add the chicken to the Rotisserie and cook chicken until the thickest part of the chicken reads 160F on a thermometer. The speed of cooking will be influenced by the heat and the outside temperature so cooking times may vary which is why a meat thermometer is a great investment.
7. 7Allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes before garnishing, slicing and enjoying!