Sticky chilli chicken with hot and sour pineapple
I don’t love sweet with my savoury food, but this dish is an exception. The sticky, caramelised chunks of pineapple that get basted with spicy chicken fat as they roast together are a match made in one-pan dinner heaven.
SERVES 6-8
1.8kg bone-in, skin-on chicken (legs, thighs, breasts and wings all work) Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
100g light brown sugar
125ml unseasoned rice wine
vinegar
125g sambal or other
chilli paste
60ml fish sauce
60ml lime juice
2tsp chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves, finely grated ½ pineapple, peeled and cored, cut into 4cm wedges
½ shallot or 4 spring onions,
thinly sliced
1 large handful coriander, tender leaves picked, and stems coarsely chopped 2tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a large resealable plastic bag or baking dish.
2 Combine the sugar, vinegar, chilli paste, fish sauce, lime juice, chilli flakes and garlic in a medium-sized bowl, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the chicken, massaging it in with your hands to make sure everything gets an equal coating. Seal the bag or cover the baking dish and let the chicken sit for at least 30min in the fridge.
3 Preheat the oven to 215°C/185°C fan/gas mark 5. Place the chicken and pineapple wedges in a deep baking tray
(for easy cleaning, line the tray with foil or baking paper). Drizzle the remaining marinade over everything and place in the oven.
4 Roast until the chicken is deeply browned, caramelised and cooked through; roughly 50-60min. If you have a pastry brush, feel free to baste the chicken and pineapple periodically with the rendered chicken fat juices. By this time, the pineapple will also be golden and juicy, which makes for a delicious, sticky sauce.
5 Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving platter, carving the chicken and slicing the pineapple for easier serving, if you like. Scatter with the shallot, coriander and sesame seeds before serving.