I love home-cooked roast chicken, especially free-range chicken which is sweet, moist, succulent and incredibly tender. Here is another one of my versions of roast chicken, made with pantry ingredients. I used a variety of spices commonly found in curries, and also added some curry leaves for aromatics. The result is a mildly and sweetly spiced chicken with a subtle hint of curry flavour (from the leaves). I also butterflied the chicken in order to reduce cooking time. Here is the recipe below:
Ingredients:
1 whole free-range chicken (about 1.5kg)
Olive oil
Marinade:
1 tbsp dark soy
1 tbsp kecap manis
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
Method:
Mix marinade together and put aside. Butterfly the chicken by using a pair of kitchen shears/scissors to cut along the backbone of the chicken. Then flatten the chicken out and place in a roasting pan. Rub marinade all over the chicken and under the skin. Place a sprig of curry leaves under the skin and another 2-3 sprigs under the cavity of the chicken. Leave to marinade for a few hours.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Remove chicken from fridge and leave out for about an hour. Drizzle olive oil all over the chicken and pour 1-2 tbsp of water in the pan to prevent the marinade from getting burnt in the oven. Place tray on the middle rack and roast for about 45 minutes or until juices run clear and skin is slightly charred and crisp. Use a brush to baste the chicken with the marinade in the pan halfway through cooking. When cooked, remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
