Asian Roasted Chicken with Rice and Asparagus

Sorry all, but I've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately. I've been making new things, things I enjoy, but I just haven't felt inspired to share the recipes with ya'll. So I apologize for the lack of posting, but I guess that means that I'll only give you the best! Of course, the "best" is entirely subjective to my tastes. Hopefully you agree.

The other night I was inspired to bring back the ol' spatchcock method when roasting a chicken. When deciding how I wanted to flavor the bird, I remembered an Asian marinade I made to go with chicken thighs a while ago and how delicious it was. Why not modify it and rub an entire bird? The rub has a spicy ginger flavor and is rounded out with miso paste (available in Asian markets). Miso paste, along with being the base of miso soup, can also be used to make dressings, marinades, and generally adds a nice touch to anything Asian you can dream up.

I served the chicken with rice, stir fried with asparagus and red bell pepper (of course). For the easy recipes, read on! Note that I made this up as I went, so measurements are estimated. Feel free to modify for your own tastes.

Asian Roasted Chicken

1 3-4 lb roasting chicken

1/4 cup miso paste

2 tbsp chili paste (also in the Asian section)

3 cloves garlic, minced

~2" ginger, peeled and minced

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil + more for the roasting pan

sriracha, to taste

2 onions, cut into wedges

~ 1/3 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400°. To spatchcock the chicken, place it breast-side down on a cutting board and, using kitchen shears, cut through the ribs on either side of the spine to remove the entire backbone.

To make the rub, combine the miso paste, chili paste, garlic, ginger, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha in a small food processor and process until smooth.

Using your fingers, separate the skin from the bird without removing it. Rub the...rub between the skin and the meat, trying to cover as much of the meat as possible. I was even able to get it down in the thighs and legs. If you have extra (I did), rub the inside of the bird, then throw some on the very outside for good measure.

Drizzle some sesame oil in the bottom of the roasting pan, then pour enough chicken broth to cover the bottom about 1/8". Arrange the onion wedges around the pan, then place the bird insides-down in the pan, getting some of the onion underneath it.

Roast for ~30 minutes, until the breast meat is 150° and the thigh meat is 170°. Remove the chicken from the oven and rest for at least 10 minutes.

Asian Fried Rice with Asparagus and Bell Pepper

1 cup white rice (I used basmati cuz it's what I had)

1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed, cut into 1/2" pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

some onions (chopped) and pan juice from roasted chicken

While the chicken is in the oven, cook the rice.

When the chicken is resting or while you're carving it (if you've got a helper), start the stir fry. It only takes a couple minutes so don't do it til the end.

Heat the sesame oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. When shimmering, add the asparagus, red bell pepper, and about 3 tbsp pan juice from chicken. Cook for ~1 minute, stirring constantly. Add in desired amount of onions from the roast and stir to combine. Add the cooked rice and stir again to combine. Add more pan juice if needed to create the sauce consistency desired. Serve immediately.