Juicy chicken infused with canadian beer, maple glaze and salty bacon served with roasted potatoes (also drunken) so tasty without the dreaded hangover!! A nod to Canada Day celebration!
In a large mixing bowl slowly pour the beer in. Add salt (will cause beer to foam) and wait for 2 minutes until foam stops rising (will diminish once stirred). Add garlic powder, paprika powder, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Stir with a whisk until combined. Set aside.
Rinse chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Use a metal skewer to poke the chicken breast multiple times. Place chicken into a large bowl (large enough to fit both) and slowly pour in the mixed brine. Add 8 cups of cold water or enough to cover the surface of the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Vegetables
In a large roasting pan with lid, place carrots into the center of the pan (chicken will be resting on top of carrots).
In a large mixing bowl add potatoes, rosemary, salt, oil. Mix to combine. Add potatoes in a single layer into roasting pan (around the carrots).
Chicken
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels on a cutting board or flat surface. Wrap onion with 1 bacon strip and stuff into the cavity of the chicken.
On a separate cutting board or flat surface, weave the bacon (1 package of bacon at a time). Start by laying 5 strips of bacon horizontally next to each other. - Lift up & fold back (about 1 inch) every other (odd number) bacon end on the right side. - Place a bacon strip vertically directly on top of the bacon you did not fold back. - Straighten back out the folded bacon to cover the vertical strip you just placed. *tip: demo on how to weave bacon in my video below*
Next, lift and fold back the (even number) long ends starting from the left hand side (lifting the bacon ends you did not fold back in the previous step). - Place another vertical strip of bacon directly on top of the bacon you did not fold back in this step- Place it next to the first vertical strip and straighten the folded bacon back out. Repeat step #3 & #4 until you've used up all of the bacon.
Brush the entire chicken with maple syrup. Place the chicken with breast side down on top of the bacon weave. Wrap loose ends of the bacon around the chicken so the bacon ends are sitting on top of the chicken and secure with toothpicks or quickly roll the chicken over so the bacon weave is on top of the chicken with breast side up. Place chicken on top of the carrots in roasting pan and tuck loose ends of bacon underneath the chicken.
Repeat steps #2 to #5 for second chicken.
Brush maple syrup over the bacon that is wrapped around chicken. Sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper. Pour 1/2 cup of beer into roasting pan, around the chicken (over the potatoes). Cover roasting pan with lid (or cover tightly with aluminum foil). Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to roast for 10 minutes. Check internal meat temperature and remove from oven once it reaches 165°F (73.9°C). Let chicken rest in the pan for 15 minutes before carving. (will allow juices to be absorbed back into the meat).
Video
Notes
I want to make this alcohol free. What to use instead of beer?If you still want the beer flavour without the alcohol, I would suggest using non-alcoholic beer (such as Molson Exel or other non-alcoholic beer). If you want to skip beer altogether, replace beer with low sodium chicken stock.Should I use thick or thin Bacon strips?It depends whether you prefer your bacon soft or crispy. For soft, use thick strips and for crispy, use thin strips. I recommend using full sodium (instead of low sodium) bacon to give the chicken added flavour.Why poke the chicken?No I don't mean making it angry. This method is optional. I wanted to speed up the process of brining the chicken and have the meat absorb as much of the brine as possible. If you prefer not to pierce the meat, you can skip this step.Temperature and cook time?If you're adding stuffing, the cook time is a little longer than unstuffed chicken. For stuffed chicken, roast for approx. 1 hour and 40 minutes. Unstuffed, roast for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Always check with a meat thermometer to make sure internal temperature of poultry reached 165°F (73.9°C).