Apple Cider & Whiskey-Basted Chicken

Prep time:

20 minutes

Cook time:

240 minutes

Difficulty level:

Intermediate

Let me tell you, if there was a smell-o-vision option on the screen, I would turn it on for you folks. The sweet aroma of cider and cinnamon mixed sage and thyme left me begging for the holidays to be here in a hurry! We originally developed this recipe because Hasty-Bake has an AWESOME baster-pan that is manufactured to fit in place of one of your grill grates perfectly and we wanted to show it off. By using the baster pan, I can now free up my oven during the holidays to use for other goodies, or I can use it in place of my oven all-together. In just a matter of about 4 hours, I had a full meal ready to go that was so beautiful, we ALMOST didn’t want to eat it… key word there… almost HA!

I used a whole chicken (about 4 lbs), but the large baster pan can fit a 12-14lb bird in it easily. Even though this recipe is only for the chicken and the gravy. I also made a quick dressing that cooked along-side my baster pan on the other grill grate over indirect heat. The baster pan was put in place of the grill grate nearest the firedoor. Once I got the fire going, I put the baster pan in and lowered my firebox down all the way without the heat deflector, opened up all my vents, and then shut the firedoor. If you are going to keep airflow from going underneath the firebox, you’ll want to make sure your coals are nice and hot before lowering it so it doesn’t get snuffed out. IF your coals are lit well enough, the vents on either side of the grill should be enough airflow to keep your fire hot.

I also used about 2 fist-sized pieces of apple wood (not soaked) after I got my food on the grill. I also threw two more pieces on when I added more basting fluid (about an hour later). One cool thing I learned is that you don’t need to spray the pan before you use it IF you are basting. The liquid provided a non-stick surface. If you aren’t basting and your are using it to bake something like a lasagna, I would probably recommend to spray that puppy down with non-stick spray before use AKA “Pam”.

Finally, I added acorn squash, seeded and halved, with some butter and cinnamon half way through the cook so I could have some veggies. You can substitute potatoes, summer squash, carrots, onions, etc.

This dish turned out to be one of the favorites around the Hasty-Bake shop. It definitely didn’t last long on the gorgeous plate that I had ready for serving– so I hope it’s the same way with your household.

Happy grilling y’all!!

Ingredients

4 pound whole chicken
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 apple liquor (crown royal apple works well)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsps dried, crushed sage
2 tsps dried, crushed thyme
1 tsp dried, crushed rosemary
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon (divided into 1/2 and 1/4)
5 pink lady apples (peeled, cored, 2 cut in quarters, 3 cut into slices)
2 shallots
6 sage leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 cup butter room temperature
Hasty-Bake Greek Seasoning
additional safe leaves and rosemary sprigs for garnish, if desired
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Remove one grill grate and grease drain nearest your firedoor. Light half firebox full of hardwood lump charcoal or hardwood briquettes and set to grill level.
The basting liquid: In a small, grill safe saucepan, mix apple cider, soy sauce, apple liquor, apple cider vinegar, sage, rosemary, thyme and ½ teas cinnamon. Bring to boil, remove from grill and set aside. Set basting pan in place of removed grill grate. Lower firebox to smoke. (I didn’t use the heat deflector) and allow basting pan to heat for about 15 minutes.
In a plastic, seal-able bag, add 2 quartered apples, shallots, whole sage leaves, rosemary sprigs and ¼ teas cinnamon. Shake to distribute cinnamon.
Remove giblets, rinse chicken, inside and out: pat dry, Sprinkle cavity with salt and pepper. Spoon apple/herb mixture into cavity. Tuck wing tips under chicken; loosely tie legs together. Season liberally with Hasty-Bake Gourmet Greek on the outside of the skin. Place chicken into baster pan back side down.
Pour ½ of basting liquid over chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Roast chicken for 30 minutes, pour remaining basting liquid over chicken. Roast 1 hour longer, basting frequently with pan juices and adding a cup or more water to pan if juices have evaporated. An alternative to this method is cover chicken loosely with foil and poke a few holes in the foil. This allows steam to escape and also self-bastes from the moisture that collects on the foil and drips back onto the chicken. This is also a good time to add your vegetables such as potatoes or acorn squash to cook.
Rub outside of breast and legs with butter (this will give your chicken that golden brown look). Add apple slices to pan juices around chicken and roast until apples are tender and internal temperature of the chicken is 175 degrees. When stuffing the cavity of poultry, the stuffing must also reach a minimum of 165 degrees to kill any bacteria. (this is very important for the safety of your guests)
Transfer chicken to platter. Tent loosely with foil; let stand 30 minutes (internal temperature of chicken will increase 5 to 10 degrees).
For gravy/ cider glaze : pour remaining pan juices into 4 cups measuring cup, add enough chicken broth to pan juices to equal 4 cups if there aren’t enough. Transfer broth mixture to large saucepan; simmer 5 minutes. Mix 1/4 cup apple cider and two tbls of cornstarch in small bowl. Whisk into gravy. Boil until gravy thickens, about 2 mins. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle over chicken and serve.