BBQ-Heroes

Spit-roasted baharat chicken

Baharat is a spice mix that is widely used in Arab cuisines. Baharat itself means spice, so it is a spice spice mix. It is not a fixed recipe, but generally, there is almost always paprika, cumin and cinnamon in it. That is why it has a sweet and warm taste that goes perfectly with chicken.

To better distribute the Baharat over the chicken, we mix it with olive oil. We also add a tablespoon of salt. The sweet taste of the baharat is fantastic for chicken, but you are missing the salt.

If you push under the skin with your fingers on the side where the head used to be, you can loosen the skin up to the legs. This makes it easier to distribute the baharat mix. Half of the mix goes under the skin, and the rest spreads on the outside.

This chicken goes on a rotisserie on our kamado. The rotisserie’s turning makes the juices are kept under the skin, all the time basting the meat.

When you thread the chicken on the spit, you can position the skewers in such a way that the legs and wings do not hang loose. This is handy because then the rotisserie runs more stable, and the legs do not come too close to the heat of the coals.

When the chicken is cooking, you can make the salsa verde. The salsa verde is nice and tangy and goes great with the warm flavours of the baharat.

We also roasted some potatoes under the chicken. Cut a kilo of potatoes into smaller pieces and cook them for 10 minutes in hot water. Then let them cool and dry. Cover them with some olive oil and salt and pepper.

If you place the potatoes in a roasting pan under the chicken, the fat from the chicken will drip onto the potatoes, and they will become extra tasty. The roasting pan also ensures that the fat does not end up on the glowing coals.

To know when the chicken is perfectly cooked, we measure the meat in the chest and in the legs. This way, you know exactly how far the doneness is, and you do not eat raw or dry chicken.

We cook the chicken in the legs to a core temperature of 85°C (185F). That seems high, but it’s better. The meat is the most tender at this temperature, and you can pull it right off the bone. If it doesn’t fall off by itself. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. This ensures that the breast meat, in particular, does not lose too much moisture during the carving.

We got some friends over and found a few sausages in the fridge. Together with the potatoes and the chicken, we had just enough for six people. If you are going to make the baharat chicken let us know in the comments below. Or better! Take a photo and post it on Instagram. Tag @bbq.heroes so we can see what you made.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp baharat
  • 1 tsp coarse salt

For the salsa verde

  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 6 cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 tsp sugar

Instructions

  1. Remove loose pieces of skin and fat from the head and butt of the chicken. Loosen the skin from the chicken with your fingers.
  2. Mix the olive oil, baharat and salt and brush the chicken with it. Under the skin also.
  3. Prepare a grill with a temperature of about 200°C (392F).
  4. Thread the chicken on a spit so that the wings and legs are secured with the skewers.
  5. Hang the spit in the rotisserie and close the lid. Grill until the meat is 75°C (167F) in the breast and 85°C (185F) in the legs.
  6. Meanwhile, make the salsa verde by chopping the oregano and tomatoes very finely. Mix this with the zest and juice of the lemon. Add to that the salt, pepper and sugar. Stir everything well.
  7. When the desired core temperature has been reached, let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Deel, like of reageer