Roast chicken with spiced rice

If you can’t find butterflied whole chicken at the supermarket, preparing to spatchcock a whole chicken is simpler to achieve than you think, and takes only a few minutes with the help of sharp kitchen scissors. Not only does it allow for more even cooking, it’s more cost-effective as whole chickens are usually less expensive than pre-cut pieces.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Stream free On Demand

Butterflied Roast Chicken

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• 1.6 kg whole chicken, butterflied
• 2 lemons
• 2 cups jasmine rice
• 100 g toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• Mint leaves, flat-leaf parsley leaves, mixed salad and tahini, to serve

For the marinade

• 5 garlic cloves
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 2 tsp sumac
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 1 tsp allspice

For the onions 

• ½ cup (125 ml) olive oil
• 2 brown onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 cinnamon quill

Resting time: 10 minutes

Marinating time: overnight

Instructions

1. If time allows, brine the chicken in a 5% saltwater solution (see Note) for 8 hours. Place the marinade ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or mini chopper and blitz until smooth.
   
2. Remove the chicken from the brine, then place into a large bowl with the marinade ingredients and mix well to combine. Refrigerate for 5 hours to overnight before cooking.
   
3. To make the onions, heat the oil in a small saucepan over high heat. Once hot (not smoking), add the onion, garlic and bay leaves. When the onions are lightly browned, stir through the remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat to low and cook until onions are completely cooked. Set aside and keep warm. This step can be made a few days in advance.
   
4. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250˚C (fan-forced). Thickly slice the lemons and place into a large baking tray or heavy-based frying pan in a single layer. Place the chicken over the lemons, skin-side up, then bake for 45 minutes.
   
5. While the chicken is cooking, cook the jasmine rice using the package instructions for the absorption method. Once the rice is cooked, pour the spiced onions on top, then cover and allow to stand for a further 5 minutes, then fluff the onions and almonds through the rice.
   
6. To serve, remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Strain the juices from the baking tray into a jug. Stir the herbs through the resting juices. Carve the chicken and serve with the spiced rice, resting juices, mixed salad leaves and tahini for drizzling.

Note

• To butterfly (or spatchcock) the chicken, place the chicken breast side down, use sharp scissors to cut along each side of the parsons nose. Pull the spine out (save it to make homemade chicken stock). Turn the chicken over and press down firmly. You will hear it crack and the chicken will flatten.
• To brine the chicken, use a brine ratio comprised of 50 g fine salt to each litre of water used.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Butterflied Roast Chicken

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G