Turn a whole chicken into a wonderful home rotisserie style chicken, slow roasted, loaded with flavor and as tender as can be!

Mimi's Rotisserie Style Sticky Chicken

There must be a hundred sticky chicken recipes on the internet for how to make a homemade rotisserie chicken, every one different from what I consider to be the original sticky chicken - Mimi's.

Several years back when I had a few extra mouths to feed and was working more than full time, I did the once a month freezer method of cooking. This sticky chicken was one of the most popular chicken recipes back then to make ahead and reserve the meat for casseroles. It's one of the carryovers I have held onto all these years, and that I still love today.

Even this original sticky chicken recipe has taken on a life of its own across the internet as often happens, but it is rarely credited to the original creator of it, Mimi Hiller, who came up with the seasonings and specific method back in the mid-80s.  The chicken slow roasts at 250 degrees for 5 hours. Yes, you read that right - 250 degrees. 5 hours. Which seems to frighten the heck out of some people. Ms. Hiller claims that it's safe however stating that "...anything over 225 degrees is safe as long as the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 155 degrees, (which this does, and more) for about 5 hours."

Still, I suppose that I should throw in a disclaimer here about how the federal government a/k/a the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking poultry at oven temperatures of 325 degrees F or higher. So there. I told you. You should therefore proceed with this recipe with that knowledge.

The result of this slow roasting is an incredibly tasty chicken that is both infused with flavor throughout, but is also fall apart tender and juicy, and is somewhat reminiscent of the rotisserie style deli chickens that are so popular these days. I have made this chicken multiple times since those days back then and with absolutely no ill effects and I'm still around, however... if you have concerns about cooking at that low of a temperature, bump up your temperature and adjust the cooking time accordingly. The flavor from the rub will be great ... I just can't vouch for the same exact result. You'll want an internal temperature somewhere around 175/180 degrees, when an instant read thermometer is inserted in the thigh.

If you remember, put this chicken together the night before so that it marinates overnight with the seasoning rub, but I've forgotten and just roasted it immediately after applying the rub with excellent results too. Grab an extra large chicken or do a couple of smaller chickens when you find them on sale and roast them to shred up and freeze for future meals.  This rub is so delicious, I'm thinking I might even spatchcock a chicken and try this rub on the ole grill.  It'll be a different experience than this, but I cannot imagine it would be anything but delicious.

This is just one of many ways to roast a chicken, but it is one of the best I've ever eaten. Don't limit the spice mixture to only roasted chicken - there are many applications it can be used for. I'm thinking that it'd be a darned good blackening rub even, if I ever venture outside to smoke out my neighbors with a blackened dish out on the grill one evening. Enjoy.

Recipe: Rotisserie Style Sticky Chicken

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 15 min |Cook time: 5 hours |

Yield: About 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (3 to 4 pound) whole chicken
• 1 medium onion, cut into chunks
• 4 teaspoons of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of the pepper grinder
• 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of white pepper
• 2 teaspoons of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, crushed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Remove giblets from chicken if it has them. Place the chicken into a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, mix together thoroughly the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, paprika and thyme and rub this mixture all over the inside and outside of the chicken. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight if possible, to marinate. If you did not remember to do this, I've cooked them right away also and it is excellent. If cooking right away, roughly chop the onion and stuff into the cavity of the chicken. If marinating overnight, wait to stuff the onion in the chicken until just before roasting.

Roast uncovered at 250 degrees for 5 hours. After the first hour passes, begin basting the chicken with the pan juices periodically. The chicken is ready when the internal temperature is between 175/180 degrees when an instant read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.

Tip: Roast two chickens at a time and reserve one for use in other dishes. Check out Ten Delicious Things to Do With a Rotisserie Chicken!

Slow Cooker Version: Prepare the chicken as above and refrigerate overnight to marinade if desired. Halve 2 small onions and place in the bottom of a 6 quart crockpot along with 6 to 8 whole red potatoes. You may also line bottom of crockpot with balled up aluminum foil instead of the vegetables if you prefer. Place seasoned chicken on top, cover and cook on low for about 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 - actual time will be dependent on size of chicken. Chicken will be done when an instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the thigh registers 175 degrees F. Use a long fish spatula to extract the chicken whole if possible and let rest before carving. Defat the drippings if desired to make a gravy, or cool, transfer to refrigerator and scoop off fat, freezing the remaining broth for another use. Chicken will be very tender that it may fall off the bone, so this method of preparation is not recommended for a presentation pretty chicken.

Disclaimer: The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking poultry at oven temperatures of 325 degrees or higher. You should proceed with this recipe with that knowledge and at your own risk.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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©Deep South Dish

Adapted from a 1980s recipe by Mimi Hiller

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Posted by Mary on April 18, 2010

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