Sixteen Spice Chicken - Mesa Grill

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 roasting chicken, whole washed and dried
• 1 gallon water
• 1/4 cup salt, kosher
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons dried ancho chile powder
• 3 tablespoons ground pasilla chile powder
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon ground fennel
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon arbol chile
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Recipe

• 1 in a large vessel, place water, 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a gallon of water. dissolve well and add a fresh chicken or it can be added completely frozen. cover with foil and allow to brine for at least 2 hours for a fresh chicken in the fridge or 4-8 hours for a frozen chicken on the counter.
• 2 pull chicken from the brine, rinse under cold water and dry well. discard the brine.
• 3 combine the spices in a medium bowl. note that this will make a lot of spice rub and you will not use it all. store leftover spice rub in a tightly sealed jar and store in the freezer.
• 4 brush chicken with olive oil and rub 3 tablespoons of the spice mixture over the entire bird and inside the cavity. you may find that you want to add more of the rub after cooking and serving. it's better to use a lighter hand in this step and add it at the table later until you find your perfect taste point. place chicken on a plate and allow to sit in the fridge for an hour.
• 5 place the chicken on your rotisserie at 400 degrees @ 15 minutes per pound. let go until just cooked through. let rest 15 minutes before serving.
• 6 notes: i have a plastic dish pan that i use exclusively for brining chicken. i brine all my chicken no matter if i am frying it, roasting it, or making this dish. i cannot stand dry chicken! most often i pull a whole frozen chicken from the freezer and put it in the brine, cover and go to work. if it's chicken breast or chicken pieces, i put it in a covered glass bowl and put it in the fridge. pieces will not keep the brine cold enough for long periods. if you plan on hanging about the house, then you want to leave the chicken pieces out until they are thawed and then place in the fridge until you are ready to cook.