Canary Islands Chicken " My Style"

Ingredients

• 1 roasting chicken, clean, fat trimmed
• 1 oven cooking bag, suitable for your chicken size
• 1/2 tablespoon salt (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried garlic
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon oregano (marjoram)
• 1 1/2 cups of dry spanish sherry wine (the one we call "manzanilla")
• 1 cup pure extra virgin Spanish olive oil

Directions

1. 1

   Place chicken in the bag. Add all dry ingredients, add sherry and olive oil. Once bag is closed, shake well to let ingredients mix and run around.

2. 2

   Make two little pinches on top of bag, place in an oven tray and put it into the oven at 375ºF for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on how big your chicken is or how well done you like it. I prefer chicken well done with a crusty skin.

3. 3

   When done, let it cool a little and then open bag carefully. Take out chicken and collect all the liquid (there`ll be plenty of it), and please careful--no fainting with the superb smells that will surround you, so different to usual roast chicken in USA. The hint here is the dry sherry wine--the better the label, the best results. Old Spanish wisdom in this wine!

4. 4

   Note: As I like mixing different cultures and traditions, try this with a good challah or a southern style cornmeal as well as a salad (only greens, onion and tomatoes and, of course a good Spanish olive oil, salt and vinegar).