ONE-POT SPICED ROAST CHICKEN
Experiment with roast chicken: stuff with a spiced butter and surround with a creamy, tikka-inspired sauce before topping with a punchy green chutney
2tbsp ghee or butter, softened
1 medium chicken
(about 1.6kg)
Cooked pilau rice and naans, to serve (optional) FOR THE SPICE MIX
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander 1tsp garam masala
1tsp smoked paprika 11⁄2 tsp ground turmeric FOR THE SAUCE
1 onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves
1-2 red chillies, chopped, plus extra sliced chillies to serve
1 large thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1tbsp sunflower oil
2tbsp ghee or butter
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes, blitzed in a food processor until smooth 2tsp light brown soft sugar 3-4tbsp double cream
FOR THE CHUTNEY
30g cashew nuts, toasted and chopped
Small bunch of coriander, plus extra leaves to serve Small bunch of mint 1 lemon, juiced
1⁄2 tsp sugar
70ml olive oil
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. If you’re making the spice mix, combine all the ingredients and set aside. For the sauce, tip the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Heat the oil and ghee or butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the spiced onion puree with a pinch of salt for 12 mins. Add 2tbsp of the spice mix, turn up heat to high and cook for 1 min. Tip in the tomatoes, sugar and 250ml water. Bring to a simmer. Season well with salt and turn off heat. To prepare the chicken, put the remaining spice mix in a bowl with 1tsp sea salt and the ghee or butter, and mash together. Push two-thirds of the spiced butter beneath the skin of the chicken breasts, then rub the rest over the outside of the breasts and legs. Season the chicken skin with 1tsp sea salt and tie the legs together. Sit the chicken in a 28-30cm pan, shallow casserole or roasting tin and pour the sauce around it. Cover with foil and roast for 40 mins, then remove the foil and roast for another 30-40 mins, or until cooked through (when you cut into a leg, the juices should run clear). Stir the double cream into the sauce. Taste for seasoning and rest, uncovered, for 10 mins. Make the chutney by blitzing all the ingredients together in a food processor until coarse. Season to taste. Top the chicken with some extra sliced chillies and coriander leaves, then serve with the chutney, pilau rice and naan, if you like.