Spatchcocked Roast Chicken With Couscous


I discovered Nigel Slater's cooking from the IHCC group when they started doing recipes by the acclaimed chef. Then they showed some of his  cooking shows on TLC as well. And I love his method of cooking, fuss free, using easily available ingredients.  So when this week's theme was announced at the IHCC, cook any recipe by Nigel Slater I decided to do his Roast chicken dish . I am partial to roast chicken recipes and love making extras  so I have enough left overs.
 This recipe is also a one pot one as the coucous gets cooked in the pan itself soaking up all the juices left in the pan after the chicken is roasted.  Couscous makes a great weekday dinner meal as you just have to add hot water and its ready within less than 10 minutes.

Anyway I didn't have rocket so I left it out. Used two little chickens as you know the boys fight over the drumsticks.

Recipe: Spatchcocked chicken with Couscous, recipe adapted from Nigel Slater's recipe. 

2 ( 1200g) chicken
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
2 whole heads of garlic cut in half, ( no need to remove each bulb or skin them just half the whole bulb)
1 lemon halved
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
a generous pinch of ground black pepper
salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 chicken stock cube
1 1/4 cup couscous

First thaw the chicken, ( if using frozen, wash and wipe).  Then using a pair of kitchen scissors  , cut all the way in the back . ( click here to see how). Turn the chicken over and flatten it by pressing down on it. Set aside.

Now in a small bowl mix the chilli flakes, pepper,  salt, and juice of the lemon, ( don't throw the  lemons after juicing them)  thyme and olive oil. Mix and pour it on the prepared chicken and massage it through.

Pop into a roasting tray or baking tray, arrange the garlic around and under the chicken and also the left over squeezed lemons . Pop into a preheated oven  at 200 degree Celsius  for about 45- 1 hour, mine took a little longer as I had two . It depends on the type of oven too. To check if don't , insert a sharp knife into the joint between the thigh and drumstick and if the juice runs clear with no blood then its done.

Once done, remove the chicken, place it in a large plate, loosely covered with foil. Remove the garlic  cloves by squeezing the skin, give the lemons a squeeze , and remove them. Spoon some of the extra fat from the pan and any  burnt  bits. Then place the tray on the stove top over a medium heat. Add water and stock cube and if you like a tiny bit salt ( do this after tasting the broth) and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil add the couscous , switch off heat cover with  foil and leave for 10 minutes. Fluff it up with a fork. Joint the chicken and serve on top of the couscous and a nice green leafy salad.

Enjoy!!

Linking this over at the IHCC's theme for this week :  monthly featured chef ; Nigel Slater




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kashikeyo Baipen (Screwpine fruit Porridge)

Image
I know I posted this a long time ago but I took some of my old posts out due to some comments I got but then again , I realized  different people make their recipes differently, so why bother what people say. Anyway, the first time I heard of this recipe was from my husband. We had just been married and living in Kulhudhufushi as my husband was working there for 6 months.  I love screwpine fruit and its heady perfume. So there I was making, or rather trying to make, kashikeyo kandhi and hubby kept hovering around, going that's not how my mum used to make. Yes I know ladies,  there are lots of new weds, who read this who have heard this line LOL??. Anyway , a few years later,  I finally tasted the  dish , which by the way was a totally different  dish altogether, so my hubby was right???? .   My mum in law  showed me how to make  it and I love making this, especially during Ramadhan, as its not just a desert dish , it can even be eating...
Read more

DIY Water Balloon Flip Flops!

Image
Easy and Fun DIY Water Balloon Flip Flops! S imply tie water balloons in a knot around the flip flop straps!  We liked the rainbow color pattern... Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. Be creative and have fun!  F or my daughters birthday this year we made these bright and fun flip flops at the party. The girls all had a fun time making them and they can't wait to wear them to school on the same day!  We got this idea from my niece who made these at a party a few years ago.  We thought they were so cute that we wanted to try them at our party this year.  We bought black flip flops for every girl from Old Navy, for $2.50 a pair.  I would recommend going a size larger in flip flops.  We bought 3 packs of 500 water balloons and had plenty of water balloons left over, perfect for a water balloon fight! What you'll need: 8 pair flip flops in every one's sizes     1,500 water balloons 8 girls to tie the water balloons onto the flip flo...
Read more

Banbukeyo Hithi ( Breadfruit Curry)

Image
For ages I kept meaning to try one of the Hithi recipes. Hithi means bitter but this is not a bitter curry. Its called hith i because its uses a spice known locally as hithi damui . My mum kept saying its difficult getting hithi damui you can only get it from the local ayuvedhi stalls until my sister discovered after seeing the spice that it was in fact ajwain/ carom seeds . I have seen ajwain seeds in a local shop and also in some of the Indian specialty shops. Ajwain seeds although it looks a lot like tiny cumin seeds  has a slightly different taste. There  are two kinds of hithi , one is this banbukeyo ( breadfruit )  hithi and the other is maalhoskeyo hithi ( plaintain). Recipe : Banbukeyo Hithi Serves 4 -6 1/4 piece of a regular size banbukeyo (about 250g) 2 garlic cloves, finely grated 1/2 inch ginger grated 10 curry leaves small piece pandan leaf 1/4 tsp tumeric 100g smoked tuna 1 small onion thinly sliced 1/2 tsp ajwain or hithi damui 150 ml coconut milk 700...
Read more