In a perfect world, we’d all have time to raise our own fowl, hand feed them dried corn, collect their eggs in the morning, and let them roam free in the back yard all before we humanely decapitate and pluck them for food. A good life for a chicken that was destined for dinner.

Then we’d have time to preserve our own lemons, grind chilies with pestle and mortar, and dry our own spices for which to marinate said bird.

Or you could just get yourself acquainted with this Neera’s line of pastes and what not from www.cinnabarfoods.com and Ranger of Washington Free Range Chickens–rich, flavorful and pretty hard to mess up.

My favorite is the Tandoori paste–a mix of lemon, chilis, coriander, cardamom, fennel and garlic. Mix each tablespoon of Tandoori paste with about a 1/4 cup of plain yogurt, use up to 3 tablespoons depending on the size of your chicken. Rub most of this mixture under the skin of the legs and breasts. Let this sit overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as you would a whole chicken, basting with butter & paprika, watching that the skin is crisp, not crispy.

What to drink with such strongly-spiced fare:

Chilis are hard, it depends on the zing factor. I give up at any sort of mouth numbing. You need some fruitiness or sweetness because a wine that comes off too dry before this kind of pungent spice, will taste like razor blades with it. If you like Riesling, I’d go that route, something Kabinett level, with a hint of sweet and a softer acidity. A dry but full Aussie white, like one of d’Arenberg’s blends (I’m thinking the Hermit Crab or Stump Jump white), would have a bit of weight in the mouth and a richer fruit flavor to counterbalance the spice. I’d go with a Sauvignon Blanc that was less citrus and grapefruit-y and more nectarine-y, matching the freshness and acidity to what in my mind is a fresh, vibrant blend of spices.