Quick roast chicken
Spatchcocking your roast chicken means it can be cooked in just 45 minutes, saving on expensive oven time! Seema serves hers with a deliciously creamy gravy.
Ingredients
- 1 medium chicken (approximately 1.4kg/3lb 2oz)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 garlic bulb
- 2 onions, cut into thick slices
- vegetable oil, for drizzling
For the chilli gravy
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
- 2 tbsp double cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
For the spatchcock chicken, place the chicken, breast-side down, on a chopping board. Using strong kitchen scissors, cut through the flesh and bone along both sides of the backbone from the tail end to the head end and completely remove the backbone.
Place the chicken, breast-side down, back on the board and press down so it is as flat as possible.
Rub the chicken liberally with the salt. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours so the skin dries out.
Preheat the oven to 230C/210C Fan/Gas 8.
Cut the top off the garlic bulb (discard the top, or keep for use in other recipes). Put the garlic and onion in a flameproof roasting tin, drizzle with a little oil to prevent sticking and place the chicken on top. Roast for about 45 minutes.
Check between the drumstick and the thigh that the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part is pierced with a skewer, or use a meat thermometer to check the temperature is at least 74C.
Leave the chicken on a board, loosely covered with foil, to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile, make the gravy. Remove the onion and garlic from the roasting tin and set aside. Pour about 100ml/3½fl oz water into the tin and place over a medium heat to deglaze.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chilli. Whisk in the flour to make a roux and cook for a few minutes.
Stir in the stock and simmer to thicken, then add in the deglazed tin juices. Add the onion and squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves into the pan.
Use a stick blender to blend until smooth, then stir in the cream and allow to gently bubble and thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve the gravy over the chicken.
Recipe Tips
Save the backbone of the chicken in the freezer as it can be used to make chicken stock.
Spatchcocking chicken is useful if you want to cook the chicken quickly on a barbecue, and easier than jointing it.