Maple Chipotle Roast Chicken
A whole bird spatchcocked flat, rubbed with chipotle and maple, and roasted hot over potatoes that catch every drip.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
What you need
- 1 whole chicken, 4 lb
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, grade A dark
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced, plus 1 tbsp of the sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 lb small potatoes, halved
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- Black pepper and fresh thyme
Method
-
Spatchcock the bird
Cut out the backbone with kitchen shears, flip the chicken over and press firmly on the breastbone until it cracks flat. A flat bird cooks in half the time and the skin crisps evenly.
-
Make the rub
Whisk the maple syrup, chipotle, adobo sauce, Dijon and 1 tablespoon of the oil together. Salt the chicken all over first, then rub the paste under and over the skin.
-
Set up the pan
Toss the potatoes and onion with the remaining oil, salt and thyme, and spread them in a rimmed sheet pan. Lay the chicken skin-side up directly on top.
-
Roast hot
Roast at 450°F for 45 to 50 minutes. Check at 35 minutes and tent the breast with foil if the glaze is darkening faster than the bird is cooking.
-
Check the temperature
Pull it when the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F. Guessing by color does not work here because the maple glaze browns long before the meat is done.
-
Rest and carve
Rest 10 minutes on a board before carving, and pour any juices from the board back over the potatoes.
Save the backbone
Freeze it in a bag with your next few chicken carcasses. Once you have three, you have the makings of a very good stock for the clam chowder.