Paprika butterfly chicken

Serves: 2

Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 20 mins

Butterflying your own chicken is much easier than it looks! Pop this on the BBQ or in the oven, and pair with a side of slaw and soft tortillas. This crispy chicken makes for the perfect taco night!

Ingredients

1.5kg whole chicken

2 Tbsp paprika

1 lemon, plus extra wedges to serve 4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bunch spring onions

¼ cup jalapeños, very finely diced 1 large handful coriander, finely diced 2 avocados, chopped into chunks

Method

1. To butterfly your chicken, place the chicken on a clean board, breast side down. Use kitchen scissors to cut down each side of the back bone and remove. Flip the chicken over and using the heel of your hand, press down firmly to flatten the chicken. Season the chicken all over with salt.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, the juice of half a lemon, 2 cloves of garlic, a big pinch of salt and a tablespoon of oil. Spread this marinade all over the chicken and under the skin on the breast.

3. Preheat your BBQ to a medium-high heat and place the chicken breast side down for 5 to 10 minutes until the skin is golden and lightly charred. Flip the chicken over, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook with the BBQ lid down for 40 minutes.

4. While the chicken is cooking, grill the spring onions for 5 minutes until lightly charred. Leave to cool slightly and finely dice.

5. In a medium bowl, add the remaining garlic, remaining lemon, jalapeños, coriander, cooked spring onions and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

6. When the chicken is cooked, place on a board and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

7. Serve the chicken with the diced avocado and drizzle over the jalapeño salsa. Serve immediately with extra lemon wedges.

Top tips

• If you’re not one to de-bone a chook, try roasting it whole for 1 hour 20 minutes.

• Buy a butterflied chicken if you are short on time.