Recipe: Island-Spiced Roast Chicken

Island-Spiced Roast Chicken
alt.cooking-chien/Traci & Jeff Poole/2000
Makes 4 main-dish servings.

As the chicken roasts, the savory juices drip into the pan and help flavor the sweet-potato chunks. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo,* finely chopped
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled and each cut
lengthwise into 6 wedges

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Remove giblets and neck from chicken; refrigerate for use another day.

In cup, stir chipotle chiles, brown sugar, lime peel, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper until blended.

With fingertips, gently separate skin from meat on chicken breast and thighs. Spread chipotle mixture under skin.

With breast side up, lift wings up toward neck, then fold wing tips under back of chicken so wings stay in place. With string, tie legs together.

Place chicken, breast side up, on small rack in medium roasting pan (15 1/2" by 10 1/2"). Place sweet-potato wedges around rack in pan.

Roast chicken and potatoes 50 to 60 minutes, tilting chicken to drain juices from cavity and stirring potatoes halfway through cooking. (Cover chicken loosely with foil if skin browns too quickly.) Chicken is done when temperature on meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh next to body reaches 175 degrees to 180 degrees F.

Place chicken on warm platter. Toss sweet potatoes with any juices in pan; transfer to platter. Let chicken stand 10 minutes to allow juices to set for easier carving. Remove skin from chicken before eating if you like.