Chili Spice Rubbed Chicken with Honey Lime Drizzle: Graduating?

For Teachers J and Y, who were with Daughter #2 this year.  

Daughter #2 is graduating, from PRESCHOOL.  There isn't any special cap and gown ceremony at her school, nor is there any sort of pomp or circumstance, but essentially she is graduating from a school where she has spent three years learning and growing.  I'm really not the type of mom who makes a big deal out of such tiny milestone, but today, on her second to last day of preschool, I picked her up and she handed me a huge envelope of the things that she had done during the school year that needed to be taken home.  My heart did a little flip-flop as I realized that she was now done with preschool and would be entering kindergarten.

With her tiny hand in mine, I fast forwarded 13 years, her high school graduation.  Suddenly a lump slammed my throat, and as she looked up at me with her tiny face and silly smile, skipping to the car, I wanted to keep her at this precious age of 5, still in preschool, still innocent and so joyful a few more decades longer.   I watched her buckle herself into her seat and she looked at me and said, "Mommy. I'm almost in kindergarten.  Do I start on Wednesday?"  I told her no, and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that no, she wasn't in kindergarten yet. Hopefully the summer days would be languid, slow-moving, and almost as if time stood still.  They probably will not be, and more likely I'll be running at breakneck speed through them, but the thought is a nice one.

Son and Daughters grow up much faster than I can stand.

As I felt a need to be comforted from all of these dramatic milestones (not that they really are ALL the dramatic), I thought I'd make something warm and comforting for dinner.  I wanted to make the new potato salad again, as I was craving it, and wanted a warmly spicy chicken to eat with it.  I came up with this version, as it used up some of the limes that needed to go in my refrigerator, and was easily made with the spices in my cupboard.  It has only a mild note of heat, but if your kids are sensitive, just leave out the cayenne pepper.

Chili-Spice Rubbed Chicken with Honey-Lime Drizzle
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
A whole chicken, cut up (or bought cut up - 4-5 lb chicken)

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt

Honey Lime Drizzle
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Method
Preheat oven to 500.

Mix olive oil, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and, salt together in a large bowl. Add cut chicken. Rub and cover all pieces with the mixture. (Can be prepared earlier, and left in the fridge. Just make sure to take it out and leave the rubbed chicken in a roasting pan for about 15 minutes so to take the chill off the chicken.)

Place chicken into a deep roasting pan, keeping the chicken in a single layer.

Roast for 30 minutes. While chicken is roasting, mix together honey and lime juice.

Watch chicken carefully the last 5 minutes. When the chicken skin starts looking crispy, quickly pour honey lime drizzle over the chicken pieces. Cook for an additional 5 minutes until skin is blistered.

Take out from oven. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve with lime wedges if desired.

Printable recipe

With this dish, I have the power to slow down time.  Even if only for a moment.