079 Iraq – Djaj Bil-Bahar Il-Asfar

Djaj Bil-Bahar Il-Asfar

OK, so I cheated a little bit. Instead of tending to the chicken every couple of minutes on the grill I used my rotisserie attachment with a whole bird on it. OK so I didn’t make the Naan either. Last confession is that I couldn’t justify spending $10 on a pound of Rose hips when I only needed four of them. Tons of ingredients and tons of flavor. White meat was dry but next time I will brine the bird.

Ingredients

2 tsp. coriander seeds

2 tsp. cumin seeds

2 tsp. whole black peppercorns

6 cardamom pods

4 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed (I used whole dried cayenne peppers)

4 allspice berries

4 whole cloves

4 dried rose hips (I omitted)

1 tbsp. curry powder

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 tbsp. ground sumac

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 ⁄ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp. ground fenugreek

8 cloves garlic, mashed into a paste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 chicken halves (about 3 lb.) (used whole bird and cut in half)

Flatbread, such as naan, for serving

Instructions

Heat coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cardamom, chiles, allspice, and cloves in a 10″ skillet over medium heat until seeds pop, 1-2 minutes; let cool. Transfer to a spice grinder with rose hips (if using); grind and transfer to a bowl. Stir in curry, cinnamon, sumac, ginger, nutmeg, fenugreek, garlic, salt, and pepper; add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Heat a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to high; bank coals or turn burner off on one side. Grill chicken on hottest part of grill, flipping once, until slightly charred and cooked through, about 45 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reads 165°. If outside starts to burn before chicken is cooked, move to cooler side of grill until done. Rest chicken 10 minutes; serve with flatbread.

Original recipe found here:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Djaj-Bil-Bahar-Il-Asfar-Iraqi-Yellow-Spice-Rubbed-Chicken