Spicy Roast Chicken

Recipe by Adam Perry Lang from 100 Tastes to try in '08, originally appeared in F&W, 01/2008 edition. Chickens raised on grass have such superior taste that Adam Perry Lang of NYC’s Daisy May’s BBQ USA wants to get into chicken farming. *This is what I would like - not that I am going to get it real soon; I'd first have to find the chickens!*

• Ready In: 2 hrs 45 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• CHICKEN

• 1⁄4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1⁄2 tablespoon water
• 1⁄2 tablespoon dried ancho chile powder
• 5  garlic cloves, minced
• 3  tablespoons  finely chopped sage
• 3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 4  lbs  pastured chicken
• 2  tablespoons  pickled jalapeno peppers, sliced (plus 1/4 cup of the brine strained into a spray bottle)
• 2  tablespoons  chopped parsley
• 1  tablespoon fresh lemon juice (not the bottled kind)
• 2  tablespoons unsalted butter

• TOPPING

• 2  garlic cloves, smashed
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1  cup  fresh breadcrumb
• 1  lemon, zest of, finely grated
• 1  tablespoon  chopped parsley
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne
•  salt

Directions

1. PREPARE THE CHICKEN:
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. In a blender, puree the Dijon mustard, water, chile powder, half of the gar­lic, 1 tablespoon of the sage, 1/2 teaspoon of the oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
4. Place the chicken breast side up in an ovenproof skillet; coat with the mixture.
5. Bake the chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
6. Spray the chicken with the jalapeno brine; bake for 5 more minutes.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes.
8. In a skillet, cook the jalapenos, parsley, lemon juice, the remaining garlic and the remaining sage in the butter and remaining oil over moderate heat until fragrant.
9. MAKE THE TOPPING:
10. In a skillet, brown the garlic in the oil over moderate heat; discard the garlic.
11. Add the bread crumbs, zest, parsley and cayenne and stir until the crumbs are crisp.
12. Season with salt.
13. Top the chicken with the jalapeno butter, sprinkle with the crumbs and serve with a full-bodied, tropical-fruited Chardonnay: 2005 Hess Monterey.
14. Enjoy!