So there was this one time I visited my cousin ,Dharam in Washington DC . At that point of time I was working in Trinidad and Tobago at the Hilton and while trying to play tennis had fractured my wrist in two spots .
There wasn’t much point of continuing to work or trying to so for once in my hospo career I had time off for xmas.
What could I do..i was bored stiff living on the island since it had limited things on offer…so I called Dharam and said I’m stuck here ..he very kindly said come on over . The adventure had just begun with the world worst airline possible American and me landing in Miami late after refusing to eat a damn turkey sandwich or cookie as a main meal.
Delayed arrival meant I would have to run really hard between international arrivals and domestic departure in Miami . Since it was my first arrival and I was handicapped with a cast ..the airport security took extra special care to ensure that I don’t leave on time .
Finally after the finger printing and all the rest was over I run over to Dulles departure and boom I’m late by 1 min and 90 seconds and the pende…wont give me the time of the day.
The next 3 hrs I tried to see if I can take another flight to Dulles but not a chance..so I’m stuck with hardly any money no luggage and no clothes apart from what I was wearing and no clue what to do.
Anyhow I made my own way to the Miami Hilton paid for the room myself and blasted the American Airlines who sent me a stupid letter and voucher which I never used .( I never used the airline either)
So Dharam so a gourmand and knew the way to the best places for the food and took me to the best damn charcoal roasted chicken ever…they would only sell chicken fried with salsa verde and alfajores with dulce de leche . Nothing else nada.but the chicken was finger licking good that I still salivate at the thought of it.
With all the story my Pollo is still crudo.( Raw for the gringos who doesn’t speak Spanish)
So you need a chicken whole is better skin on too doesn’t have to be free range unless you get really deep pockets.
It’s better to have one split in half unless you got a rotisserie and a fancy pants oven , which most of us might not have. If you do..then by all means use it
So we marinde the chicken with salt pepper and some olive oil inside and out..
Then make a paste with
Garlic cloves -5-6 smash them first
Chipotle chilli in adobo -1 or more if you like it hotter..
Chicken stock powder- 1/2 tsp.
Olive oil – 20 ml/ 1 Tb
Lime/ lemon juice- 1-2 Tb depending on how acidic these are.
juice from 1 orange .
salt , pepper , and pinch of cumin ground.
Mariande the chicken under the skin and over it too.. and keep for minimum of 12 hrs , over night is even betterer..( don’t check my spellings that was deliberate to see if you are still awake)
Next you can fire up your bbq / charcoal oven or your regular home oven. Heat it to about 220 C first to get it nice and hot.- abot 20 mins on mine, I dont know yours , but you could invite me to yours with some nice warm beers and ill cook it for you.
keep your chicken skin side up , on a griddle/ trivet so the excess fat drains off and you use that to baste over your chook.
After the initial high heat, drop the temperature to 150-160 C, and keep on low and slow till done.
How to check that it is done, well you can use a meat thermometer or use a small paring knife and pierce near the thigh, if the clear juice runs out will be done. Takes about 35-40 mins.
During the roasting process, take the juice which is dripping down and use that to pour over your chicken and keep it moist and flavourfull
Serve your chicken with some thick cut french fries dusted with toasted cumin powder mixed with smoky paprika , salt and a bit of pepper.
Some green salsa or a Salsa rojo will go well too..How do we make those…Well thats another story for another time…