INGREDIENTS FOR ROASTING:
· 3-4 Pounds Whole Chicken
· 4-6 TBS of Spice Spice Baby’s Good Karma Shawarma
· 1-2 TBS Olive Oil
INGREDIENTS FOR THE BRINING:
· 1 ½ Cups Kosher Salt
· 1 Cup Brown Sugar
· ½ Cup Honey
· 1 Gallon Very Hot (almost boiling) Water in a large stock pot
METHOD:
1. Add the dry and wet ingredients for brining to the water. Mix this thoroughly, then cool rapidly in the freezer or refrigerator.
2. Spatchcock the chicken: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppa1bxB89vg
3. Place the spatchcocked chicken into the cooled brine and let it brine for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours (I do mine overnight).
4. Turn on the grill or oven to a high heat. If using the oven it should be 400F. A grill should be somewhere between 400 and 500 F.
5. Rinse the brined chicken off under cool running water, pat dry with towel.
6. Rub the chicken generously with olive oil, I use a pastry brush for this.
7. Sprinkle Spice Spice Baby’s Good Karma Shawarma all over the chicken, top and bottom.
8. Grill the Chicken starting bone-side down. After 15-20 minutes, turn the bird over and continue grilling for another 20 minutes or until the chicken’s juices run clear. (using a probe thermometer at the thickest part of the chicken-165 F)
COMMENTARY:
In the Middle East, saying shawarma is like saying “BBQ”-it really just refers to meat that is grilled (sometimes over flame, sometimes on an electric spit). I like spatchcocking a chicken because it shortens the cooking process and allows the meat to cook more evenly. I always brine my chicken, brining ensures the meat will stay nice and tender during the cooking process. The great part of this recipe is that the uses of the whole chicken are so flexible. You can serve the pieces on the bone with a couple side dishes, or you can pull the meat and serve it on a pita as a sandwich. I frequently cut up the breasts and put them over toasted pita chips with hummus, diced onions, diced tomatoes,
Olives and babaganouj-Israeli Nachos!