Not quite smarter than the average horn player, but this chicken in the pic-a-nic basket is the best!

On a crisp nearly-Autumn day when school is back in session and there's little chance of your day being ruined by unruly children, one of my favorite things to do is load up a picnic basket full of food and, of course, a chilled bottle of white wine, and head to a park for a picnic.

There are a few "comfort foods" that I enjoy eating while sitting on a blanket in the middle of a grove of trees; one of which is some form of chicken. Sometimes it's chicken salad made into a sandwich with freshly-baked ciabatta bread. Sometimes it's a few pieces of fried chicken made from a buttermilk and cayenne pepper batter. Today it's a simple, yet flavorful spice-rubbed chicken.

This easy to make spice rub contains a few simple ingredients that you'll most likely have in your pantry and the preparation takes only a few minutes. It yields a moist, juicy and slightly spicy main course. The rub covers five pounds of chicken easily and can be halved if necessary. I prefer with this recipe to use only thighs and drumsticks which are easier to eat by hand.

Spice-Rubbed Chicken

Serves 8

5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (a mix of breasts, thighs, drumsticks, trimmed of excess fat and skin)

2 Tablespoons kosher salt (do not use table salt)

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 Tablespoons paprika

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Use a sharp knife to make 2 or 3 short slashes in the skin of each piece of chicken, taking care not to cut into the meat itself. Combine salt, brown sugar, and spices in small bowl and mix thoroughly. Coat chicken pieces with spices, gently lifting skin to distribute spice rub underneath but leaving it attached to the chicken. Transfer chicken, skin side up, to wire rack set over a rimmed foil-lined baking sheet. Lightly tent with foil and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. When the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in and roast until the thickest part of the smallest piece registers 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (approximately 15-20 minutes). Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees and continue roasting until chicken is browned and crisp and thickest parts of breast pieces register 160 degrees, about 5-8 minutes longer. Remove the breast pieces and transfer to a clean wire rack.

Continue to roast thighs and drumsticks until thickest part of meat registers 170-175 degrees, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven; transfer to rack and let cool completely before refrigerating or serving.