When it comes to spicing up our culinary creations, many of us tend to reach for the usual suspects in our spice racks – pepper, salt, oregano. However, there's a lesser-known spice that deserves a place of honor among your kitchen essentials: sumac. This tangy, red spice, made from the dried berries of the sumac shrub, has been used for centuries in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.
Ingredients:
1 Pasture Raised Organic Chicken - Whole 4-5lbs
1 Organic Lemon
4-5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4-5 tablespoons Organic Sumac
1 teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt
1 teaspoon Organic Smoked Paprika
- Remove your chicken from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.
- Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to Broil, which is about 550°F.
- Half the lemon and squeeze the juice all over the chicken, making sure to reach the legs and wings, as well as a little juice under the skin on the chicken breast. (Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts).
- Put the lemon rind in the chicken cavity.
- Pour olive oil and spread evenly over the chicken, as well as dropping about 1/2 teaspoon under the skin, on each side of the breast meat.
- Season evenly with salt.
- Season evenly with smoked paprika.
- It's time to add the Sumac. If you add it out of order, it will not stick as well. Add about 1/2 teaspoon under the skin, on each side of the breast meat.
- Now sprinkle evenly over the chicken skin, covering the breast, legs and wings. Once you sprinkle it on, do not rub it, the spices will just come off on your hands!
- Broil at 550°F uncovered for 5 minutes, or until the skin is slightly browned and a bit crispy.
- Now lower the heat to 325°F and cover the chicken loosely and roast at for about 10-12-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165°F. This should take 45-55 minutes.
- For best results, remove the chicken from the oven once it reaches 160°F. Then, let it rest covered on the counter. It will continue cooking, to reach 165°F. This will also allow the juices to redistribute evenly inside the meat, so that every bite is succulent and flavorful.
Beyond its delightful flavor, sumac offers a host of surprising health benefits that are worth exploring.