Roasted Chicken with Smoked Paprika

Served with the pan juices, this roasted chicken makes a wonderfully warm and comforting dish to serve in cooler weather. The dish is inspired by East Mountain Farm, a small farm in Williamstown, MA that’s owned by Kim Wells and has been selling pastured beef, pork, and chicken to locals in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York since 1984.

Inspired by East Mountain Farm

Serves 4

Olive oil, for the pan and rack

One 3½- to 4-pound chicken

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1½ tablespoons smoked paprika

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

4 garlic cloves

1 small red onion, quartered

1 sprig rosemary

½ lemon, cut into wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan that will fit the chicken comfortably. Lightly oil a rack that fits inside the pan or create a rack out of a few thin coils of tightly rolled aluminum foil. This roasting rack will help keep the chicken up out of the juices as it cooks.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the roasting pan.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, mixing to make a paste. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Once the spice paste has reached room temperature, rub the entire chicken with it, including inside the cavity.
5. Fill the cavity of the chicken with the garlic cloves, onion, rosemary, and lemon wedges. Gently fold back the wings of the chicken behind its shoulders, tucking them in. Using a length of kitchen twine, tie the ends of the legs together.
6. Roast the chicken in the oven for 80 to 100 minutes, basting it occasionally with pan juices. If the skin is getting too dark, cover the chicken lightly with foil. When there are only 10 minutes left of cooking time, remove the foil, baste with the pan juices, and continue roasting to crisp up the skin.
7. The chicken is done when the thigh pulls easily from the body and the skin is crisp and golden brown. A meat thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the thigh should read at least 165ºF.
8. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve the delicious juices on the side for each person to pour over his or her serving.