Cardamom Brined Roast Chicken

Directions

1. Make the brine - gently crush the cardamom pods. Dry toast them in a warm skillet along with the peppercorns and cinnamon stick until they are just fragrant. Now put them in a pot large enough to accomodate your chicken, and add the salt, sugar, turmeric and orange, and 2 cups of water. Bring this to a boil, then simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Now add 4 cups of ice and your chicken. If the chicken is not submerged, add water until he is. Put the lid on. Put him somewhere cold (the fridge, or the back porch if it's 25 @#^%$ degrees outside). Go to work or something and let him brine for several hours.
2. Heat the oven to 350, and coat your roasting pan with oil. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat him (her?) dry and brush off and whole spices. Tuck his wings behind his head and put him in the pan. Combine the glaze ingredients - I warmed mine in the microwave for 30 seconds to get everything completely liquid and mixed. Brush half the glaze onto the chicken and pop him in the oven. After about 30 minutes, brush him with the remaining glaze. and back in the oven. Now ... I like to baste, so I do after about 15 more minutes, in fact I do it more than once. But you don't have to, you could just leave him alone until he is done. Mine took a little over an hour but this is going to depend on your chicken and your oven. If you adhere to safety first then a thermometer between the thigh and chicken should read 165. I usually just make sure the juices are running clear when I squirt them into the cavity and they flow back out, and the thigh feels loose when I wiggle the leg.
3. Rest your chicken for about 10 minutes, then carve and dig in. Nannydebs cardamom sweet potatoes make an excellent accompaniment!!!