The ultimate barbecued chicken.

Barbecued chook is high up in the pecking order of ultimate dinners for Colin Fassnidge and Anthony Puharich, who serve their version with big flavour.

C: We’re going to do a rub for the chicken. Let’s use fennel seeds, smoked paprika, cayenne and cumin.

A: Tasmanian pepperberry – why don’t you look at those native ingredients?

C: I’d put ginger in there.

A: Right. Well that’s not really what

I meant.

C: I know it’s not. What about an Asian soy chicken but we paint it with soy, ginger and chilli then we barbecue it?

A: I like this.

C: Onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, ginger, five spice, honey, soy, vinegar, mixed herbs, salt, pepper and chilli.

A: Okay, Colonel Sanders is in the house. We need to apply Coco Chanel’s advice here and take one thing off. Thirteen spices here, it’s Colonel Colin! Can we at least use Malfroy’s honey as it’s the Australian issue?

C: Yes, we can. We are going to butterfly it so all the juices stay on top. And then we’ll barbecue it so the soy gets all crispy, and serve it with the salad and the salad cream?

A: What is salad cream?

C: Salad cream is what I grew up with, which is Heinz. My version is from Four Kitchens, the first book I ever wrote, which didn’t sell that well but still. So it’s two-thirds mayonnaise, one-third condensed milk, that gives you the creamy sweetness. Then you add your mustard powder, your vinegar, your salt and pepper and you add a bit of turmeric powder. That’s salad cream.

A: I have never heard of salad cream before. C: It’s European Kewpie. Australianaise.

A: I don’t know about this salad cream. I do like crispy iceberg though.

BARBECUED CHICKEN WITH ICEBERG AND SALAD CREAM SERVES 4

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus extra

to drizzle

1 tsp each toasted fennel seeds,

smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs Malfroy’s Gold honey

5cm piece (25g) ginger, peeled, grated 1 red chilli, finely chopped

1.4kg whole chicken, butterflied 1 iceberg lettuce, cut into 8 small

wedges

SALAD CREAM

2/3 cup (200g) mayonnaise 1 tbs condensed milk

1 tsp mustard powder 1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Combine the oil, dry spices, soy sauce, honey, ginger, chilli and 1 tsp salt flakes in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat well. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or, if time permits, overnight.

For the salad cream place all the ingredients in a bowl with 1 tsp salt flakes and mix well to combine. Set aside.

Heat a chargrill pan to mediumhigh, and preheat the oven to 200°C (alternatively heat a barbecue with hood to medium-high).

Remove chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Remove chicken from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Drizzle with the extra olive oil and cook, breast-side down, for 5 minutes or until golden. Turn and cook for a further 5 minutes or until golden. Transfer, breast-side up, to a baking tray and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer. (Alternatively, close the barbecue hood, reduce heat to medium and cook for 30-40 minutes.) Rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes.

To serve, chop the chicken into quarters. Serve with iceberg wedges drizzled with the salad cream.