Coffee-Cured Chicken

The coffee and spice dry cure in this recipe penetrates the chicken overnight, seasoning every morsel. You’ll love the resulting thick, juicy cuts of chicken flavored with a gentle sweetness and the background flavor of coffee—plus just a little heat. 

Recipe Courtesy of FoodiePrints.com.

Coffee-Cured Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 frozen broiler fryer chicken
• 1 tablespoon ground coffee (freshly ground from beans is better)
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Defrost and spatchcock the chicken so the chicken opens up like a book and can lie flat. (Note: Spatchcocking, or butterflying, is a method by which a chicken’s backbone is removed by cutting through its rib bones.)

To make the dry cure, grind all of the other ingredients except the olive oil together with a mortar and pestle, making sure the peppercorns, coriander seeds, and celery seeds are at least cracked.
 Mix thoroughly and apply liberally to the chicken, breast side up.

With the cure applied, cover the chicken in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 24 hours. (Overnight, at least!)

The next day, wash off the cure with some water. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and apply a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the chicken skin. 
Now, broil the chicken breast-side down on the middle oven rack for 20-25 minutes. Flip the chicken over and broil it breast-side up for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature of the white meat reaches 150°F and the dark meat reaches 165°F. 
Optionally, turn the broiler all the way up to max to color and crisp the skin as necessary.