fact: i am that boring girl who goes to fancy restaurants and just wants to order the chicken.

steak?  so . . . meaty.  duck?  eh, gamy.  i mean, you know my love of pork.

but, man, a good roasted chicken?  juicy, flavorful, gets me every time.  and the skin . . . might just be the best part.  and i know i’m not alone here.

lucky for us, fall is a great time for roasting chickens!

and this recipe is a real winner.  it starts with this:

chipotle peppers and i have been having a bit of a love affair recently.  i keep some in the sauce in my fridge.  mix it up with plan, non-fat greek yogurt and you have an amazing taco salad dressing.  or dip for veggies.  or spread for a quesadilla.  i’m not sure what it wouldn’t be good on.

try it.  do it.  get spicy.

first, you mash the chipotle up with softened butter and lots of chopped herbs.

second, you rub it all over your bird.  this is not a time to get squeamish, folks.  get up under the skin.  pretend the bird’s had a tough day and needs some deep tissue lovin’.

the result? both the bird and the chicken skin get infused with a softly spicy, smoky, herby deliciousness.

i went ahead and butterflied my bird, and roasted it with onions, carrots and winter squash.  tasty, and much faster than when you leave the bird intact.  but, really, you just can’t lose with this one.

Chipotle Roasted Chicken

Adapted from Bon Appetit

• 1 4-5 lb chicken
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 2-4 tsp chopped chipotle in adobo sauce, depending on how spicy you want to get
• 3 tbsp chopped herbs, I used parsley, thyme, and rosemary because that’s what I had, but cilantro would be good if you have it
• 4-6 herb sprigs
• Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse your chicken, pat dry and bring chicken to room temperature.  This will help create crisp skin and help the bird cook evenly.

If you’re going to butterfly the bird, do it now.  Using good kitchen shears, snip your way through the bird along each side of the backbone.  Open the bird up, pressing on it’s shoulders.  You’ll see the keel or breastbone in the center.  Cut through the membrane above the bone, and you should be able to snap the bird open to release the top of the bone, then use your fingers or a knife to remove it.  See, that was easy!

Combine the butter with chipotle, herbs, salt and pepper to taste.

Gently loosen the skin from the bird with your fingers.  Try not to break the skin.  Rub that butter under and on top of the skin – including the thighs and drumsticks.

If you didn’t butterfly the bird, place the herb sprigs inside.

If you’re roasting veggies with your chicken put them in your roasting pan and season with salt and pepper.  Top with your bird and roast for about an hour or a little longer, depending on if the bird is butterflied or not.  Take it out when your meat thermometer reaches 165 or 170 in the thigh.

Let cool and dig in!