Yield: Serves 4-6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 30 mins
This is just the ultimate Sunday evening comfort food. This is sticky barbecue sauce taken to new heights. The spiciness of the sriracha pairs so well with the smoked paprika and the beautiful flavour of citrus from the oranges. Serve with crunchy baked potatoes, a fragrant lemon yoghurt dressing and some crunchy shaved celery for freshness. If you can, cook this outside, on the fire, it just adds that extra depth of smoky flavour and is just a happy place to be!
Ingredients:
- 1 whole spatchcock chicken
Rub
- 2 heaped teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 heaped teaspoon demerara sugar
- 1 level teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
Sticky Barbecue Sauce
- 200 g demerara sugar
- 200 g tomato puree
- 200 ml apple juice
- 2 tbs hot sriracha sauce
- 100 ml whisky
- 4 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 4 tbs balsamic vinegar
- Juice of 2 oranges
- 1 large handful coriander, finely chopped
- 1 pinch of sea salt
Potatoes
- 8 medium sized roasting potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- Generous sprinkling of sea salt
Yoghurt Dressing
- 2 cups double cream plain yoghurt
- 2 tsp turmeric - lightly toasted
- 2 tsp cumin seeds - toasted
- 1 tsp chilli flakes - toasted
- Zest of one lemon
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Garnish
- Shaved celery
Method:
- Start the fire in your Weber or closed grill. Alternatively preheat your oven to 180°C.
- To make the rub, combine all of the ingredients and grind in a pestle and mortar until all the spices reach a fine consistency.
- Cover the chicken with the rub then leave to marinade while you prepare the potatoes.
- Make slits 1cm apart all along the one side of each potato. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika and sea salt.
- Once your fire is at the right temperature, pop the chicken and potatoes onto the grill, close the lid and allow to cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until cooked through. You may have to turn the chicken and potatoes once or twice during the cooking process. Alternatively, pop the chicken and potatoes into a roasting tray and into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking make the barbecue sauce.
- Place all of the ingredients into a pot on the stove over a medium heat. Stir to combine and then allow the mixture to come to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce is sticky enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Once cooked, remove the chicken from and potatoes from the grill or the oven. If done, remove the potatoes and set aside and keep warm otherwise leave on the fire or in the oven to continue cooking.
- If using the oven reduce the temperature to 120°C. Baste the entire chicken with the barbecue sauce. Pop the chicken back on the now cooler fire or back into the oven in the roasting tray for around 10 minutes, or until the chicken is starting to look dark and sticky.
- While the chicken is back on the fire or in the oven make the yoghurt. Toast all of the spices in a small pan on the stove until they become fragrant and are lightly toasted. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly then mix into the double cream yoghurt. Add in the zest, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- After around 10 minutes, remove the chicken from the fire or oven and baste again with the barbecue sauce. Return the chicken to the fire or oven for a further 10 minutes, or until sticky, glazed and delicious.
- Serve with the perfectly roasted potatoes, a handful of fresh, crunchy shaved celery and the zesty yoghurt dressing.
Food Love,
Tanya