Black pepper chicken & lemon yogurt

We tend to think of pepper as seasoning rather than a spice, but this recipe proves just how much heat and flavour it can bring to a dish when you make it the star of the show. Here, we’ve spatchcocked the chicken for quick cooking and to give the marinade maximum coverage, but it can also be used on a standard whole chicken or budget-friendly chicken pieces.

■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 30 mins plus 1 hr marinating ■ Cook 45 mins

1 tbsp black peppercorns

5 garlic cloves, grated

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 lemons, 1 juiced, plus wedges to serve

1.5g whole chicken, spatchcocked (see opposite for how to do it)

1 whole garlic bulb

1 tbsp olive oil

400g Greek-style yogurt small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (optional)

peppered rice, to serve (see below)

1 Crush the peppercorns using a pestle and mortar. Add the grated garlic and 1/2 tsp salt and mash to a thick paste. Stir in the turmeric and lemon juice, then set aside.

2 Sit the chicken in a dish, skin-side up, and evenly slash the skin all over. Rub the pepper marinade all over the chicken so it is completely coated, then cover and chill for at least

1 hr, or ideally overnight.

3 Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. Transfer the chicken to a shallow roasting tray, skin-side up, and sit the garlic bulb alongside it.

Drizzle the oil mostly over the chicken and a little over the garlic. Roast for 30 mins, then remove the garlic bulb from the tray and set aside. Continue to roast the chicken for 10-15 mins more, or until crisp-skinned and cooked all the way through. If you have a cooking thermometer, it should read at least 65C when inserted into the breast, and 70C in the thigh. Leave the chicken to rest, uncovered, for 10-15 mins in the tray. 4 Meanwhile, peel and squeeze the garlic from the roasted bulb into a bowl, then mix in the yogurt. When the chicken has rested, lift it onto a board and stir all the resting pan juices into the yogurt. Taste the yogurt for seasoning, adding a bit more lemon juice if needed. Slice the chicken into pieces and serve scattered with the coriander, if using, alongside the yogurt sauce, peppered yellow rice (see below) and lemon wedges on the side, if you like.

PER SERVING 486 kcals, fat 35g, saturates 13g, carbs 7g, sugars 5g, fibre 1g, protein 34g, salt 1.1g