Frango Assado – Portuguese grilled chicken

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 chicken or hen (1500 g)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 onion(s), red
• 50 ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp whiskey
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp paprika powder
• 2 tsp sea salt, granulated
• 1 Pepper
• 1 kg potatoes, waxy
• 1 bell pepper(s), red
• 1 onion(s), red
• olive oil
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 2 rosemary sprigs

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

First, clean and finely chop the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and chili pepper. Blend together the whiskey, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, onion, garlic, bell pepper, paprika, honey, and salt until a creamy sauce forms. Remove the backbone from the chicken, cut through the breast cartilage, and flatten the chicken. Brush the chicken with the paste and stuff the paste under the skin, reserving 2 tablespoons of the paste. Let the chicken rest for a while. Cut the bell pepper and onion into thin strips. Wash and peel the potatoes, cut into cubes or wedges, and parboil for 5 minutes. Let cool. Mix the potatoes, bell pepper, and onion with the reserved 2 tablespoons of marinade, a little olive oil, and the torn thyme and rosemary leaves. Preheat the oven to 190°C (top/bottom heat) (170°C fan/convection oven). Arrange the vegetables on a deep baking tray. Place the chicken on top. Cook everything on the middle rack of the oven for about 40 minutes (internal temperature 75°C). If desired, grill for the last 4 minutes at 230°C until crispy. Be careful, it will turn black quickly.