I’m back!  You know you missed me. Camping was great fun but I’m happy to return to my world of Mommie Cooks.  I can’t seem to stay away from blogging even at the campsite.  We had a couple amazing meals while we were there; Mahi mahi fish tacos with marinated slaw the first night and bbq chicken with fresh corn on the cob the next night.  We also had mango and cranberry muffins for breakfast and cherry cobbler for dessert, all of which I plan to blog about in the upcoming days; some over on the camping site.   Here’s a sneak peak just to make your mouth water a bit:

We shucked the corn for Andrew, but realized quickly that he would rather eat it straight off the cob.

Isn’t he cute?  I know, shameless promotion of my children.  Sometimes a mom just can’t help herself.

Ok, on to the meal of the day.  Sunday dinner for me is a time to really make a hearty, stick to your ribs meal, and when I think of what that type of meal that could be, many times I think of a whole chicken.  I know I’ve done one of these already, but I’m doing another one, and you’ll probably see more of them in the future as well.  They’re affordable, they’re delicious, they’re versatile, and many times they can be downright elegant depending on how you cook them.  They even leave leftovers for another meal when we cook them.  You can’t beat it so why try?

So let’s make some chicken.  Here’s what you’ll need to whip up this little beauty:

Ingredients Needed:

1 Whole Chicken
1/4 Cup of Tequila
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
1/2 tsp of Chicken Base (or 1/4 Cup of Broth)
1 Lime, Juiced
4 Cloves of Garlic
1 Small Bunch of Cilantro, Chopped
1 tsp of Cumin
1 tsp of Chili Powder
1 tsp of Paprika
1/2 tsp of Salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
Cayenne Pepper to taste (Optional)

First off, let me tell you that the measurements for the spices are just an approximation.  I literally just shook the spices over my chicken to coat them top and bottom.  I did a little less for the salt and pepper because you can always add more but you can’t take it away.

Grab your chicken, rinse and pat it dry.  Drop it into your baking dish and sprinkle the dry spices; cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne on both sides of your bird.

Next you’ll want to mix together your tequila, olive oil, chicken base (or broth), lime juice, garlic, and cilantro.

Now pour your cilantro mixture over the top of your chicken.  It should be starting to look good already and you haven’t even begun cooking it!

This is optional, but I threw my squeezed limes into the cavity of the chicken.  I would have mulched them up anyway and this way, I get every last bit of lime flavor infused into my chicken.

Throw you chicken into your oven heated up to 350 degrees. Cook it covered for the first 1.5 hours and then uncovered for the last 30 minutes, basting once or twice with the chicken’s juices the last half hour.

Cooking times will vary depending on the weight of your bird, but as a reference, the internal temperature of your bird should reach 180 degrees.  If you have a meat thermometer, stick it into the bird once you get to the uncovered portion of your cooking time.  You should stick the thermometer between the leg and the breast to hit the deepest part of the chicken.

Once your chicken hits that magic number of 180, pull it out and prepare to feast on something spectacular.  If this doesn’t make your mouth water, I don’t know what will.

We served this up with a little Cheesy Adobo rice dish I concocted (recipe to come soon) and some of Micki’s black bean corn salsa to compliment the Tequila Lime Roasted Chicken.

Enjoy your chicken and I hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend holiday!