Recipe: Southwest Roasted Chicken (with spicy garlic butter)

SOUTHWEST ROASTED CHICKEN

1 whole broiler-fryer chicken, 3 pounds
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted*
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves, crumbled)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped*

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Fold wings of chicken across back with tips touching. Tie or skewer drumsticks to tail.

Place chicken, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone.

Roast uncovered 30 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients; brush generously over chicken. Roast uncovered about 1 hour longer, brushing 1 or 2 times with butter mixture, until thermometer reads 180 degrees F and juice of chicken is no longer pink when center of thigh is cut. Let stand about 15 minutes for easier carving.

*Substitution: Have some extra garlic butter on hand? Skip the finely chopped garlic and use 1/4 cup garlic butter instead of the 1/4 cup butter.

Makes 6 servings
Source: Betty Crocker, 2006