Today’s recipe is my mother’s Whole roast chicken with butter, paprika, thyme, and lime.

 

     

Rinse and pat dry.

 

    

loosen breast skin

 

     

snipping carefully those little membranes

 

     

work  butter under skin

 

      

and smear around carefully    (and get some salt and pepper in there too like I didn’t remember to do)

 

    

and butter the top.

 

      

in goes the thyme

 

      

slice a lime

 

     

and insert lime slices.

 

Kinda like that.

 

     

Then sprinkle with smoked paprika.

      

      

pat and rub it around.

 

     

looking good.    

 

 

Slice a whole garlic bulb in half. Peal the cloves of one half and stuff them into the chicken.

Save the other half to put in the pan partway through baking.

Bake at 450  for 15-20 minutes.

 

 

       Then  pull it out of the oven

 

 

       and baste with some of the juices in the pan.

 

 

       Add the garlic just before you return it to the oven.

 

 

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast for about 1/2 hour, baste again and continue roasting for about another half hour, until juices run clear;  tent loosely with foil if it starts to get too browned.

 

 

Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

 

Roast Paprika Chicken with Lime and Thyme

ingredients

• 1  whole chicken, about 4 pounds
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 whole bulb of garlic, sliced in half horizontally
• 1/2 lime, sliced
• several sprigs of fresh thyme
• smoked Spanish paprika
• salt & pepper

 
    Rinse and pat dry chicken;  loosen breast skin so you can get some butter under there; remove any obvious excess chicken fat globs carefully; (this one was a free-range local birdie and was not globby);  
    Mix some salt and pepper into the butter, which you can see I didn't think to do until later, and then rub it under the skin and on the outside of the chicken.
     Place the thyme and lime slices inside the chicken with one half of the garlic; sprinkle well with paprika
     In 450 degree oven, roast for  15-20 minutes;  remove pan from oven, baste chicken; add other garlic half to pan, baste and turn garlic cut-side down;
     Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast for about 1/2 hour, baste again and continue roasting for about another half hour, until juices run clear;  tent loosely with foil if it starts to get too browned
     Let rest about 10 minutes before serving