It all started when I found chipotle chiles in adobo sauce in El Corte Ingles. Wait… let me back up a little. In Spain, the ‘international food’ aisle is far more limited than what I’m used to in the U.S. It has not been an easy adjustment for those of us whose lives depend on hot sauce! One of the most frequent items in my pantry back in the U.S was chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. You won’t find it in an average grocery store here. On one of my many, expensive quests to El Corte Ingles (a department store with a grocery section that sells more imported goods than neighborhood markets), I managed to find the chipotle chiles I use for chilaquiles! Of course, they’re a bit pricier here than at home, so I was not going to let any of this precious, spicy goodness go to waste.
I’ve been trying to cook up more paleo-friendly options as well in an effort to clean up my act after all of the Christmas vacation indulging. This recipe uses a fair amount of honey as well as the canned chipotle chiles which can sometimes contain sugar and/or gluten. It tastes indulgent, but is still relatively wholesome. Additionally, the whole chicken quarters are a new ingredient for me. I’ve noticed this is a popular form of poultry within the restaurant culture of Spain, so you could say I was inspired here.
This is also a recipe I would love to slap on the grill, but unfortunately, my shoe box apartment and limited kitchen space has forced me to get creative with the oven. I advise you to increase the oven temperature at the end of the cooking time if the skin isn’t crispy yet. Oh, how there’s nothing quite like spicy and sweet, crunchy chicken skin.
Honey Chipotle Roasted Chicken
Servings: 3-4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1.5 kilograms of chicken quarters (leg and thigh
- 2 ½ tablespoons clover honey
- 3 tablespoons adobo sauce, from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the honey, chipotle adobo sauce, olive oil, garlic, salt and cilantro. Set aside.
- Clean the chicken quarters and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Toss the chicken in the honey chipotle mixture.
- Add chicken and honey chipotle mixture to a large ziploc bag and seal. Shake the bag around to coat the chicken.
- Allow the chicken to marinate overnight or for 24 hours, turning the bag over once.
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Brush a wire rack with olive oil.
- Remove chicken from ziploc (Discard honey chipotle mixture and arrange in a single layer on the wire rack.
- Before inserting the wire rack onto a middle shelf, add a foil-lined pan one shelf below the wire rack to catch any drippings.
- Roast chicken for one hour at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, then increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast for another 20-30 minutes or until the chicken skin has reached desired level of browning.