Cherry-Lime Chicken

Hi again all!

Sorry I've been out-of-touch for a couple of days; things have been a bit crazy. Nothing serious, though...just the usual goings-on at the restaurant, plus a bit of car trouble (I'll tell you THAT story another time!).

Today, I worked on a Smoked Chicken recipe. But before I actually try something new on the smoker, I'll prepare it in the kitchen. If it turns out tasty in the kitchen, it can be "translated" onto the smoker.
I decided to incorporate some of my favorite (seasonal) flavors into a roasted chicken. Here's what I've come up with:

Cherry-Lime Chicken

The Chicken:
*a whole four-pound frying chicken, rinsed and patted dry (giblets removed...do whatever you like with them)
*about 1/2 a whole large lime, sliced into thin disks
*1/2 a medium onion, cut into big chunks
*salt and freshly-ground black pepper

The Basting Sauce:
*about 1 cup of whole cherries, fresh, not canned. Remove stems but leave the rest intact
*1/2 cup water
*1/3 cup beer (I used a light-bodied lager; anything would work)
*5-6 whole cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
*1/2 large lime (the other half of the lime used for dressing the chicken)
*1 TBS soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
*1 TBS balsamic or red wine vinegar
*1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
*1/2 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed (or 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped)
*1/4 tsp dried dill weed (or about 1 tsp fresh dill weed, chopped)
*1/4 tsp Liquid Smoke (be careful...a little goes a long way)

First, season the chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper, on all sides. Stuff the 1/2 onion into the cavity. Slip the lime disks under the breast skin (it may be necessary to first lift the skin gently, using your fingers). Line a roasting pan with foil, and insert a roasting rack. Place the prepared chicken onto the roasting rack, breast side up, and put the whole thing into the refrigerator.

Next, prepare the basting sauce: add the beer, water, and crushed garlic cloves to a 2 or 3 quart saucepan. Using your fingers, squash the cherries, one by one, and drop them (pits and all) into the saucepan. Using a fork or spoon, squeeze the juice of the 1/2 lime into the saucepan (discard the rind). Add the remaining sauce ingredients, and bring the mixture to a boil. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes.
After the mixture has been simmering for about 10-15 minutes, pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. The idea is to get the sauce mixture ready at the same time as the oven is ready.
When the sauce mixture has reduced by about one-half (and the oven is hot), use a pastry brush to brush the chicken with the sauce mixture. Really lay it on there!
Cover the chicken loosely with foil, and roast for about 25 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven. Remove the foil cover, and baste the chicken again with the sauce mixture. Meanwhile, turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees.
Immediately return the chicken to the oven, and roast for another 20-25 minutes.
Afterward, remove and brush more sauce onto the chicken, the return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes.

(Oven temperatures/cooking times may vary, so the best method is to use a probe thermometer. When the meat at the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 170, the chicken is sufficiently cooked. Make sure that the thermometer doesn't touch any bone inside the chicken; this will give an inaccurate reading. Also, be sure to allow the chicken to "rest" after roasting. It will continue to cook for a while, even outside the oven)

When the chicken is done, remove to a plate or platter. Allow the bird to "rest" for at least 15 minutes before serving (this also affords you the opportunity to whip up a batch of sangria, margaritas, or whatever you're into).

A four-pound chicken ought to serve two people, if it's accompanied by veggies, potatoes, rice, or (in my case) baked beans. I just ate the whole thing myself. Seriously yummy!