I know I’ve been a bad Slow cook lately, but along with a bunch of other New Years resolutions (post to come shortly), I’m recommitting to participating in this weekly ritual. So now we’re doing suppers and focusing in on different techniques. We’re all preparing the same recipe (you can see a list of participants in the sidebar) but of course, everyone has their own twists and turns, so it’s worth checking out the others. You can also see a complete schedule here.

This week we’re doing roast, and Amy, from Destination Anywhere provided us with the recipe for Smoked Paprika Chicken.

Smoked Paprika Chicken – beautiful color

Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

2 Tbsp smoked paprika (Plus a bit more for inside the chicken)
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp softened butter
2 teaspoons garlic salt (or 1 teaspoon salt plus 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 whole 4-5 pound roasting chicken (mine was larger)
1 onion, quartered

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Rinse the chicken off. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels (otherwise the paste won’t stick).
2. Mix together the paprika, honey, lemon juice, butter, garlic salt, and pepper. Lift the skin and spread some directly on the breast meat and drumsticks and thighs that you can reach then spread it over the entire surface of the chicken. Place chicken on a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle a bit of paprika into the cavity, and place the cut onion in the cavity.
3. Bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or more. You may need to adjust the time depending on how big your chicken is. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165-170°F for the breast and 180-185°F for the thigh. I like to cover the breast with foil for part of the time so it doesn’t dry out.
4. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carve and serve.

We really enjoyed this chicken but next time, since it’s cooked at such a low temperature, we’re going to try smoking it on the grill instead. I’m really looking forward to that and wish I’d thought of it before we roasted it on Saturday night. I also might try it in the crock pot one of these days. Unfortunately, while I’m a big roast chicken fan, the rest of my family not so much, so I haven’t made them as often. I think though, they’re just going to have to put up with it from now on though. 🙂