Big Girl Britches-Smokey Bacon Roasted Chicken

It has taken me a while to get up the guts to cook a whole chicken. I remember the first time I ever attempted, I was in my first trimester with my first child. I was able to get the plastic wrapping off of the chicken but when I picked it up and could feel the bird moving around itn my hands I about lost MY innards right there on the kitchen floor. I have since found my big girl britches and enjoy cooking a whole chicken. You can find killer(bad wording?) deals on whole chickens at the store. I hit a good sale a couple of weeks ago and was able to get whole chickens for just over three dollars. I prefer the smaller birds that you get at a regular grocery store as opposed to the title holding birds that are shipped in to wholesale stores. Roasted chickens are a great easy dinner to put together and leftovers can be put to use in a number of ways. Here is a simple recipe I developed that has a good earthy and sweet flavor with a hint of smokiness. One regular size bird will feed us with enough enough left overs for another meal, but if you are serving more than four adults I would cook two birds.

Smokey Bacon Roasted Chicken
1/2 tsp of the following:
garlic powder
onion powder
fresh black pepper
cumin
chili powder
seasoned salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar (omit if doing Whole 30)
Combine all of the above in a small bowl. Set Aside

1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
2 slices of bacon, cut in half
1 small onion, quartered
In a clean sink, remove the plastic wrap from your chicken and pull out the innards (they usually come in a nice little bag). Rinse out the bird with cold water, be sure to rinse the inside cavity as well. Place the bird in your crock pot or roasting pan, breast side up, and take a few paper towels and pat it dry. Using your fingers, gently pull back the skin covering the breast with your fingers creating a pocket, but don't pull it off. Take a few spoonfuls of seasoning and rub it in your chicken pocket over the breasts. (I know, it might wig you out but just do it!)

 Gently lay the skin back flat as if nothing has happened. Drop the mustard on top of the chicken and rub it over the outside of the chicken.

 Take your remaining spice mixture and sprinkle it over the chicken and inside the cavity. Take your quartered onion and put it inside the cavity

Now, take your bacon and gently lay it across your bird.

If cooking in the crock pot, let it cook for 5-6 hours on low heat until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers at 170 degrees. If cooking in an oven, preheat the oven to 350 and allow it to cook for around 1 hour and 15 minutes until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers at 170 degrees.

Turn off the crock pot (or remove from the oven) cover with foil and allow it to rest for around 20 minutes before slicing. I removed the bacon and discarded it since I was basically only using it for the fat and flavor. You can fry those babies up and eat them while you are letting the bird rest if you want or pitch them.
If you are slicing on a serving plate, be sure to tilt the bird up to remove any juices prior to putting on a serving plate.
Left overs are great for chicken tacos, Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas(9-15-10 The Last Supper) or for nachos.

Enjoy Y'all!