Caramelized Chipotle-Garlic Roast Chicken with Cornmeal-Zucchini “Latkes”

As time goes on, I start to think maybe I should just run a roast chicken food blog.  I make it almost enough.  This version was particularly good – basically a jazzed up version of BBQ chicken.  I did not brine the meat here, as I usually do, but it was still juicy and tender.  As you can see from the picture after the jump, I browned my skin a little bit too much and should have tented this with foil a bit earlier.  Luckily, the flavors of the meat weren’t affected – the sugars in the chipotle-garlic glaze simply over-caramelized resulting in blackening.  Take my mistakes as a lesson learned and look at it frequently to figure out when to tent.

The cornmeal-zucchini “latkes” went really well with the BBQ chicken due to their southwestern flavors.  They went really well with the chipotle-garlic glaze as a dipping sauce and were excellent topped with a few bites of the roast chicken.  They would work equally well as an appetizer served simply with the plain Greek yogurt.

Caramelized Chipotle Roast Chicken with Cornmeal-Zucchini “Latkes”

Caramelized Chipotle-Garlic Roast Chicken:

Adapted from Pink Parsley

1 whole fryer chicken, giblets removed if included

3 tbs. olive oil

1 head garlic

1 small red onion, diced

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tbs. Jack Daniels stone ground dijon mustard

1 tbs. brown sugar, packed

3 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced, plus 1 tbs. adobo sauce (if you don’t like spice, deseed the chipotles)

2-3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs. apple cider vinegar

Large pinch cinnamon

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Remove chicken from oven and place on a roasting rack on top of a baking sheet lined with tinfoil.  Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Allow to sit overnight, uncovered, in refrigerator to allow moisture to evaporate from skin.

Preheat oven to 400º.

Cut top 1/4″ off of bulb of garlic.  Place on 12″ sheet of tinfoil and drizzle with olive oil.  Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Roast 45 minutes to an hour until garlic cloves are deep golden brown and soft.  Carefully remove from foil and let cool 10-15 minutes until easily handled.  Remove garlic cloves by squeezing base of each clove and set aside.  You will only use 5-6 cloves for this recipe.²

Before beginning glaze, remove chicken from refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until oil is shimmering. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, about 20-25 minutes or until caramelized, or golden brown.  Add roasted garlic (by pinching at base of cloves), ketchup, dijon, brown sugar, chipotles, adobo sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, and cinnamon.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Stir occasionally, being sure to smash roasted garlic, and continue cooking until sauce is slightly thickened and flavors have melded, 15-20 minutes.  [Note: This can be done up to 24 hours in advance.  If done in advance, keep glaze refrigerated until applying initial coating to chicken.]

Increase oven temperature to 475º.

Using a pastry brush, coat chicken all over (including in the cavity) with the caramelized chipotle-garlic sauce, using half of the sauce or slightly less.  Place chicken in preheated oven on center rack.

Roast at 475º for 15 minutes or until skin is light golden brown and sauce has formed a glaze.  Remove from oven and brush with sauce.

Reduce heat to 350º.  Roast chicken roughly 20 minutes per pound (rounding up to nearest pound), or until meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken’s thigh reads 185º.  Baste periodically with remaining chipotle-garlic sauce.  If chicken becomes overly brown, tent with a piece of tinfoil.

When fully cooked, remove chicken from oven and cover with tinfoil.  Rest 15-20 minutes, which will allow juices to redistribute and result in a tender, juicy bird.

Serve with cornmeal-zucchini “latkes,” remaining chipotle-garlic sauce, and plain Greek yogurt.

Cornmeal-Zucchini “Latkes”:

3 cups zucchini, grated

1 medium white potato, grated (about 1 cup)

1/2 small Vidalia onion, chopped

2 tbs. corn kernels (fresh, canned, or frozen)

1 tbs. black olives, finely chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2-3 tbs. all-natural, whole wheat flour

2-3 tbs. cornmeal

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

3 tbs. canola oil

Plain Greek yogurt, for serving

Mix zucchini, potato, onion, corn kernels, and black olives.  Squeeze out extra moisture using cheese cloth or paper towels.  Add eggs to vegetable/potato mixture.  Mix in flour, cornmeal, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Mix together well with your hands.

Heat a tablespoon or two of  canola oil in a large sauté pan.  Form vegetable/potato, egg and flour mixture into patties roughly 2 inches across and 3 inches long.  Sauté roughly 5 minutes per side until golden brown, adding canola oil as necessary.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve warm with plain Greek yogurt and the chipotle-garlic glaze from above.

¹

²NOTE: I like to roast a whole head of garlic and then keep any leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer, depending on how quickly I think I might use them.  Spread on a piece of toast or mixed into some rice, roasted garlic turns something simple into something elegant and delicious.