Roast Chicken with Smoked Paprika and Fresh Thyme

This recipe is fast becoming a favorite at our house. It is the one dish that my one-year-old Noah and preschooler Joseph actually eat in silence, their pleasure whisking words of whining far, far away. But make no mistake--this is no kiddie recipe. I've served this deceptively easy and elegant dish at dinner parties with great success. The flavor is exceptional.
Chilling the chicken uncovered for several hours makes the skin crispy when roasted. Butterflying the chicken causes it to cook faster, although you may also purchase a whole cut up chicken (it is easier to serve) and put the paprika mixture over more of each piece's surface.

1 roasting chicken
4-5 large sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1.5 tablespoons sweet, smoked Spanish paprika*
2 teaspoons olive oil

*Or use your own favorite paprika!

1. Butterfly the chicken (Click here to see how) Tuck wing tips behind shoulder, and transfer to a large, rimmed baking dish (such as a 9x12).
2. Using fingertips, separate skin from chicken over breasts and thighs. Insert 1 or 2 thyme sprigs between skin and flesh over each breast and each thigh.
3. Mix coarse kosher salt and paprika in a small bowl, then sprinkle evenly all over chicken. Transfer uncovered chicken, skin side up, to refrigerator. Chill at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Drizzle chicken with 2 teaspoons oil. Place chicken in oven; roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let chicken rest 10 minutes. Cut chickens into breast, wing, thigh, and leg pieces. Transfer to platter. Drizzle with some drippings and serve.

Food Fact! Spanish Smoked Sweet Paprika is also known as Pimenton de la Vera, Dulce. It is a popular ingredient in many Mediterranean recipes, and its flavor is essential for authentic Spanish cooking. For several weeks, the peppers are dried, slowly, over an oak burning fire, resulting in a sweet, cool, smokey flavor. Popular in paella, potato dishes, fish dishes, spinach and chickpea stew or bean dishes, chorizo and lomo pork loin. It crosses into regular American cuisine as a seasoning for barbecue pork, kebabs, and rich beef and lamb stews.

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