Dynamite Chicken

Photo: flickr user davidpbrown

Ingredients

1 chicken - (abt 3 1/2 lbs)

cup cilantro leaves

4 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground chile

(such as New Mexico Dixon)

cup salsa

(chunky bottled salsa may be used)

cup Mexican beer

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat Dutch oven with oil.

Rinse the chicken, remove the innards, and cut off any large pieces of fat or skin about the vent. Blot the chicken dry with paper towels.

Combine the cilantro, garlic, salt, and ground chile in a food processor. Chop to a coarse puree. Rub 1 tablespoon of the mixture inside the chicken. Gently work your fingers under the skin of the breast to loosen it, then rub more of the mixture under the skin over the breast. Rub the remaining mixture over the outside of the bird.

Place the chicken, breast up, in the Dutch oven. Pour 1/4 cup of the salsa into the cavity of the chicken, then pour the remaining salsa over the bird. Add the beer to the pan, cover, and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and roast 10 to 15 minutes longer, basting the chicken with the pan juices a couple of times.

This recipe yields 3 to 4 servings.

Comments: Nothing could be easier - and few dishes could taste better - than this simple baked chicken from Jacqueline McMahan. A blend of cilantro, garlic, and chile powder is rubbed inside and outside a whole chicken, then the bird is baked in a savory blend of salsa and Mexican beer. The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for the chicken; the cooking aromas may drive you wild. Serve with plain steamed rice or a basic rice pilaf to collect the delicious juices. Leftovers are perfect for soft chicken tacos.