Getting back in the swing of things after Easter and feeling pretty good.  Every now and again when the weather is not the greatest I like to think of a nice warm place and then make food that would fit in within that climate.  How about some Texas style chicken?  Oh yes, I am a big fan of rubs on meat and poultry and this rub did not let me down.  I picked up a half of chicken cut up at the local grocery.  I am a huge chicken fan but I like to switch up the flavors to keep things interesting.

With this idea, I combined several spices together and gave the chicken a good rub in the morning before work. I then wrapped the chicken up and let it sit in the fridge to intensify with flavor.  You can even do this the night before if you have time.  When using rubs like this one below, I like to keep the skin on so the flavor will stick better.  Once cooked, you can remove the skin if you want before eating it.  That is if you are watching your caloric intake or just do not like crispy baked chicken skin.

Below is both the rub recipe as well as the instructions I went with for cooking the chicken.  I also made a nice batch of sweet potato fries (which I am literally addicted to)

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1/2 Chicken cut in pieces
• 2 Sweet Potatoes

Rub

• 5 tablespoons paprika
• 2 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 4 teaspoons black pepper
• 4 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon hot chili powder
• Grated lemon zest

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



2. Prepare chicken and ensure the chicken is clean and dry.  ( I like to pat it dry with paper towel to ensure the rub will adhere better).
3. Take some of the rub and massage it all over the chicken, pressing firmly to allow it to penetrate the skin.  Transfer it to a tupperware dish or a ziploc bag and let it rest in the fridge.



4. Slice sweet potatoes according to the instructions.
5. Place chicken on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 45 – 60 minutes.



6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When I make rubs, I make them in large batches and store it in jars for future use.  This saves a lot of time and adds variety to your dinner.  As I have mentioned before… variety is the spice of life.

Have a great Tuesday and make sure you check out the giveaway that is coming up! Get your name entered in the draw to win some zesty gear.  Also I do not want to sound like a broken record but I will mention it again – if you buy an article of clothing, all profits will go towards the food bank.

Take care

zesty

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