Chelsea s Bacon Roast Chicken

2 tablespoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin

1 ½ tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon ground paprika

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 (4 pound) whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry

3 cloves garlic, crushed

6 slices of thick-cut bacon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Mix the thyme, oregano, brown sugar, cumin, salt, paprika, and black pepper in a bowl. Remove half the spice mixture to another bowl; stir the minced garlic and softened butter into the mix in one of the bowls.

Loosen the skin of the chicken over the breast, back, and thighs. Rub the spice mixture containing garlic and butter thickly underneath the loosened skin. Rub the dry spice mixture generously over the outside of the chicken and sprinkle some in the cavity. Place the crushed garlic cloves into the cavity. Place the chicken on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan; arrange the bacon strips over the chicken in a basket-weave pattern.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes; lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and cook another 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and roast until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. If the bacon starts to look too brown during roasting, cover the chicken with a sheet of aluminum foil. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) when the meat is done. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.