Prep time: 15 mins, 1 hour chilling and min 4 hours marinating
Cooking time: 55mins
SERVES 4
Never thought you could cook a whole chicken on the BBQ? think again with this amazing spatchcocked chicken recipe. It is perfect for the barbecue as it cooks quickly and evenly and the marinate adds a subtle spicy kick while keeping the meat tender.
Ingredients
8kg Beech Ridge Farm chicken (spatchcocked – learn how to spatchcock a chicken here)
Juice 1 Lemon
2 tsp mild chilli powder
85g natural yogurt
85g coconut cream
3 garlic cloves,
2 ½ cm / 1in piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp each ground cumin, ground coriander and garam masala
½ tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp Turmaric
1 tbsp olive oil
To serve
small bunch coriander
chapatis
cucumber raita
Your favourite chutney
Method
- Put the chicken in a large dish and slash the legs a few times with a sharp knife.
- Mix together the lemon juice, chilli powder and 1 tsp salt and pour this over the chicken, turning so that it coats both sides.
- Cover and chill for 1 hr. Meanwhile, whizz the remaining ingredients (except the oil) and some black pepper in a blender until smooth.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and spoon over the spicy paste, making sure it covers both sides. Chill for at least 4 hrs, preferably overnight.
- Light your BBQ, preferably a lidded one and let the flames die down. Once the coals have turned ashen, pile them up on one side.
- Drizzle the skin of the chicken with the oil and place, skin-side down, on the side of the barbecue with the coals underneath.
- Cover with the lid and cook for 15-20 mins until charred.
- Turn the chicken over and move to the side with no coals underneath.
- Close the lid and cook for a further 20-25 mins until cooked through. Check that the juices run clear; if not, return to the barbecue for a further 10 mins, then check again. (if you want to use the oven, heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, place on a wire rack over a tray and cook for 45-55 mins. To char the skin, grill for a further 5-10 mins.)
- Leave the chicken to rest for 20 mins.
- Scatter over the coriander and serve with chapatis warmed on the barbecue, raita and your favourite chutney.
Recipe taken from the Good Food Magazine