I love a good roast chicken and this Italian twist on the Sunday classic is a great one to get in your repertoire.
Personally I prefer spatchcock as a way of roasting as I think you get a more even, more succulent cook, if you’re not comfortable doing the butchery yourself then you can always ask a local butcher to spatchcock a bird for you and even some supermarkets/online retailers will sell them in that cut. If you don’t fancy it then you 100% can do it with a whole traditional chicken just be sure to make sure the internal temperature hits 165c and you check in a few deep points like the Thigh and Breast.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 Spatchcock Chicken
- Zest & Juice of 1 Whole Lemon
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Oregano
- 1 Tbsp. Fennel Seeds
- ½ Tbsp. Piment D’Espelette Pepper
- ½ Tbsp. Sugar
- Sea Salt Flakes
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Method;
Take a large dish for the Chicken to be marinated in and then start by drizzling a little Olive Oil over it and a pinch of Sea Salt & Black Pepper. Then make the marinade, so take a separate bowl and begin by zesting and juicing the Lemon into it and crushing the Garlic Cloves in as well. Next up add in the remaining Herbs, Spices and Sugar along with 1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil and mix well. Pour the marinade all over the Chicken and really make sure you massage it in and that the whole Chicken is covered! Cling wrap and leave to marinade for at least 1 hour – it is better if you can leave it for 2-3 hours.
Once the Chicken is marinated place on the BBQ (or oven) on an indirect heat at 200 Celsius. Cook skin side down for 15 minutes and then turn and cook for a further 35-40 mins. Make sure you begin timing when the internal heat is 200 after you have added the chicken as it will drop and take a short period of time to recover back up.
Once the Chicken is cooked through loosely cover with tin foil and allow to rest for around 15 minutes and then slice up and remove all off the bone. I like to serve this with hot buttery crushed New Potatoes & a big mixed Salad!
Tips;
- Piment D’Espelette Powder is a type of chilli pepper spice, so if you can’t get this go for Paprika – the type of Paprika is a non-smoked hot Paprika to get a similar flavour!
