Oven-Roasted Chicken

This chicken is my favorite because the meat of the chicken is juicy and tender while the skin is crispy, spicy and as tasty as the chicken itself. It is also very easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 1 Chicken cut into standard parts, or a whole chicken which has been cut down the length of its breast
• The juice of 5 lemons
• ¾ cup of olive oil
• Several cloves of smashed garlic
• Salt, cracked black pepper, red pepper, sumac and other spices

Preparation:

• In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic and add to it about 1-2 teaspoons each of salt and red pepper. The red pepper will not make the chicken hot but it will give it a beautiful red color. This is your marinade.
• Clean the chicken and allow it to marinate in this mixture for a minimum of 2-6 hours. Keep the chicken covered in the refrigerator and turn the pieces every 30-60 minutes.
• When you are ready to cook the chicken, pre-heat the oven to 500°F. Discard the marinade and place the chicken pieces side by side in an oven safe baking dish and sprinkle them with salt, cracked black pepper, sumac (an Arabic spice) and a small amount of another spice such as curry powder or all-spice.
• If you are cooking a whole chicken (rather than parts) be sure that you have cut it down the length of its breast and spread it apart so that its back is in the middle and it is flat on the baking dish, skin side up. To clarify, the chicken should be spread out so that there is a leg, wing and breast on the right as well as a leg, wing and a breast on the left, rather than under the chicken. This is very important. Sprinkle with spices as described above.
• Place the chicken in the oven. Do not cover it with aluminum foil. Close the door and immediately reduce the heat to 350°F.
• Allow the chicken to cook in this manner for approximately 90 minutes. Cooking times vary from oven to oven so you must check to make sure that the chicken does not get over-cooked. The skin should definitely be crispy but not dried out.

This chicken tastes good when it is accompanied by Molkhia, a soup made from the jute plant which is a popular favorite in Egypt and the Levant. Enjoy!

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