Roast Cast Iron Cumin Chicken at Foodwhirl

Cast Iron Roasted Cumin Chicken (with roasted cauliflower)

So Niki (who has a lot of recipes here, but you can find her at her own blog, Life in Recipes), has been raving about her oh so easy and tasty discovery of Cast Iron Skillet Chicken.  So, I decided to try it out, and then of course post about it, and steal her thunder, muhahahahah!!  OK.  Kidding.  I am going to post about it though.  And add my own little twist.

Roast Cast Iron Cumin Chicken at Foodwhirl

Hardware:

12 inch iron skillet

Software:

  • So you basically need a small chicken — just the regular 3-4 pound fryer you find whole at the market.  I did this with a larger roaster bird previously, and while it worked, it did not fit well in my 12 inch skillet!
  • 4Tbsp Olive oil
  • ~1Tbsp ground cumin
  • ~1 teaspoon chili powder  (I of course do not measure, so these are approximate.)
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh ground cracked pepper.

Method:

This is based on Niki’s recipe – so go read it too for more details – but here’s what I did.  I took out the chicken and salted it in the morning this time, but that is optional.  You can certainly just prep, then cook, and if so, just add salt when you add pepper.  You could also brine the bird ahead of time.

  • In the morning:  Rinse chicken, pat dry.  Then I coated the whole chicken with a heavy sprinkling of kosher salt, including rubbing some in the cavity and under the skin.  Refrigerate uncovered til 1.5 hours before dinner.
  • Place iron skillet in oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Rinse and dry chicken again to remove most of the salt.
  • Combine oil, cumin, chili powder and rub all over then chicken, including under breast skin and in the cavity.
  • Grind pepper over it.
  • When oven and skillet are fully heated, and about 1 hour before you want to eat, place the chicken in the iron skillet, breast side up, legs splayed out so they contact the pan.  I forgot to tuck my wing tips under so they came out a little over done, but who eats wing tips anyway.
  • Prep and add your cauliflower (below).
  • Roast for ~45 minutes, or until meat registers around 150-5 degrees on your meat thermometer.  I use a probe thermometer so I just set the temperature alarm on that.  (Christmas idea: If you don’t have one of  these (any sort of Digital Programmable Probe Thermometer) for the cook in your family, I highly recommend!)
  • Remove from oven, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes (this will ensure the juices distribute and the meat reaches around 160 degrees.

Side Dish:  Roasted Cauliflower

Roast Cumin Cauliflower at Foodwhirl.com

Remove stem of cauliflower head and slice the rest up.  Slice large florets in half lengthwise so they cook faster.
Drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder, and toss together in a large bowl.
Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil, and spread out your cauliflower in an even layer.  Place in your hot oven.  Check after 20 minutes and turn over the pieces if they are starting to stick or brown too much.  Continue cooking until tender, about 15 more minutes (but this really depends on the thickness of the cauliflower).
I’ll admit, I think I ate half of these before they made it to the table… soooooo good!  And healthy!
The whole meal (I also added steamed broccoli) is very healthy, and is also paleo type diet friendly.