Portuguese Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

• 1 Whole Chicken (3-4 lbs)
• 1 ½ lbs potatoes (yukon or reds), thinly sliced

 

• Marinade:
• 2 Dried Ancho Chilies-re hydrated
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• Cilantro Sauce:
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 bunch Cilantro - finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• Cracked pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Rehydrate dried chilies in small pot of boiling water on the stove for 20 minutes.
3. Butterfly chicken: Rinse inside and out, removing innards. Pat dry. Place on a cutting board, breast down. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the spine, remove and discard. Turn the chicken over, and placing your hand on the breast bone, press down hard with the palm of your hand, to flatten.
4. Make the marinade by blending the marinate ingredients into a paste with a blender or food processor.
5. Brush a layer of marinade on the bottom of your baking pan.
6. Place the thinly sliced potatoes on top of the marinade and sprinkle with a generous pinch of kosher salt.
7. Brush all sides and crevasses of the chicken with the marinade, coating fairly heavily. (You will add more marinade during cooking, so be sure to save the remaining.)
8. Place chicken, skin side down on the potatoes and place in the oven.
9. Turn chicken over after 15 minutes, and place back in the oven. After 10-15 minutes, brush more marinade all over the chicken on the skin side, really lathering it up. Return to the oven and bake until cooked through another 15-20 minutes, or until leg/ thigh reaches internal temperature of 180 F. To crisp the skin and get it deeply brown, broil for a few minutes. A little char is good here.
10. Remove chicken when done and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
11. While chicken is roasting, combine Cilantro Sauce ingredients together, either in a bowl- mixing by hand, or in a food processor.
12. Serve cilantro sauce on the side.
13. Cut chicken into pieces and serve.