Garlic Spatchcock Chicken with Creamy Orzo and Rocket

This is a really easy tea with notably very little washing up! We have served this as a crowd pleaser for friends in the past but tonight I’ve made it for two. You can add your own twist with different vegetable sides or by using a regular soft cheese if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 medium chicken (around 1.4kg)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 5 tablespoons light olive oil
• 250g orzo pasta
• 150ml half fat crème fraiche
• 100g soft goat’s cheese
• 2 lemons
• 70g fresh rocket
• Small bunch of parsley
• Salt and fresh black pepper

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 200 degrees.
• Flip the chicken so the breast is facing down then use a strong pair of scissors to cut down the back bone. Once you’ve cut all the way down turn the chicken over and use your hands to push down until you hear a crack and you feel the bird flatten out.
• Place the chicken in a large roasting tin.
• Bash or blend the garlic with the oil until completely smooth (any pieces of garlic will burn in the oven) then pour over the chicken and rub in all over.
• Season the chicken on both sides with plenty of salt and pepper then roast for 1 hour basting 2 or 3 times with the juices from the tin.
• Once the chicken is out of the oven, cover loosely with foil while you prepare the orzo.
• Cook the orzo in plenty of boiling, salted water for 7 minutes then drain keeping about a mug full of the cooking water.
• Add the crème fraiche, goat’s cheese and juice of 2 lemons then mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
• Allow to simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes then taste again. Adjust flavourings to your own preference (salt, pepper, lemon) then stir through the rocket and turn off the heat.
• Roughly chop the parsley and stir through the orzo.

How you eat this is down to you! I removed the breasts and legs from the chicken then served on top of the orzo but this could work equally well in the middle of the table so people can help themselves. If you’re making this for a crowd chicken thighs would be ideal on or off the bone. I don’t tend to cook chicken breasts but if you prefer them, a griddled breast sliced on top of the pasta would also work well.

Party in Your Mouth Roast Chicken

My mouth had a party, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium chicken
• 2 large white onions
• 100g butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5-6 cloves of garlic
• Big handful of any fresh green herbs! (I used chives, parsley and coriander because they’re in my garden, but pretty much any combination will deliver freshness and flavour – ask me if you’re not sure!)
• 2 lemons
• Salt
• Black pepper

It’s easier to make the butter in a food processor but you can do this by hand if you don’t have one (Christmas is coming, so stick one on your list).

Method:

• Pre-heat your oven to 210 degrees of gas mark 7.
• Mash or blend the butter with 2 cloves of garlic, the juice and zest of lemon, herbs, oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Carefully slide a spoon underneath the skin of the chicken breast to make a pocket for the butter. Take your time so you don’t rip the skin.
• Score each chicken leg once with a sharp knife.
• Push a tablespoon of butter under the skin of each chicken breast, then push the mixture up the breast so it gets right under the skin.

• Rub the rest of the butter all over the chicken using your hands.
• Half the other lemon and push the halves in to the cavity of the chicken.
• Slice the onions and lay them out on the bottom of the roasting tin, then bash the remaining garlic cloves and throw them on top. Give the onions a good season with salt and black pepper, then drizzle a bit of oil over the top.
• Sit the chicken on top and season with a bit of salt, then cut a lemon in half and push in to the cavity.

• A medium chicken will take about an hour, but during the cooking time, take it out and tilt the tray so the juices gather at one end. Spoon this juice over the top of the chicken a couple of times during cooking – it will give even more flavour and keep the breast moist.
• Once the cooking time is up, take the chicken out and cover loosely with foil for at least 15 minutes.
• You can make a gorgeous gravy by adding some water, stock or wine to the roasting tin. Let it bubble away to deglaze the tin (I do this by putting the roasting tin directly over a couple of the gas hob rings). Add some flour to thicken or just use some gravy granules if you’re in a rush.
• Tuck in!

Balsamic Roast New Potatoes

So good with roast chicken or pork for a change from traditional roasties, or great eaten warm as part of a buffet.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg new potatoes
• 2 onions, peeled and quartered
• 100ml balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, whole, unpeeled
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped flat leaf parsley to finish

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees (gas mark 7).
• Tip the onions all the potatoes in to your biggest roasting tin, cut the biggest potatoes in half and add plenty of salt and black pepper along with the garlic cloves, oil and vinegar.
• Toss everything together really well.
• Roast for 45 minutes by which time, the vinegar will have caramelised and the potatoes will be soft in the middle.
• Remove the garlic and throw in some chopped parsley for freshness.

 

Beer Can Chicken with Gravy

The fun bit with this recipe is that by choosing a rub and a matching beer, you can go to any country you like. I went for jerk paste and Red Stripe on this occasion (because I’m a bit obsessed with jerk) but there are lots of combinations you can try. If the beer you want to use doesn’t come in a can, just save and wash an empty one that you can pour it in to. There are some good pre-made rubs and pastes in the shops, or you can experiment with your own versions – if you’re thinking of something specific please feel free to ask us and we’ll help you make it! Here are my flavour suggestions:

• Budweiser with BBQ, chips, corn on the cob, coleslaw
• San Miguel with lemon/paprika/garlic, patatas bravas, rocket salad, garlic mayo
• Cobra with Tandoori, fluffy basmati rice, chickpea and spinach curry
• Efes with lemon and oregano, toasted pitta breads, houmous, mixed salad
• Carling with salt and pepper, crusty bread rolls, gravy for dipping!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium chicken
• Paste or rub of your choice
• 1 can beer
• Olive oil to drizzle
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon of flour

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees (Gas Mark 6). Remove your oven racks, leaving one at the lowest point to give the chicken room to stand up!
• Open the can of beer and pour half in to a glass (or down the sink if you’re weird).
• Place the chicken neck side up on top of the can – it should fit nicely in to the cavity.

• Cover the chicken with your choice of rub/paste.
• Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
• CAREFULLY transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hour, basting a couple of times during cooking. (To baste, simply spoon the juices from the bottom of the tray over the chicken, helping to make the skin crispy and seal in flavour).
• After an hour, CAREFULLY take the chicken out of the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

• To serve, I found it was best to take off the legs and wings first by slicing the skin with a knife then using tongs to pull off the joints. Put them on a serving plate and cover with foil.
• Taking the can out of the chicken can be tricky, so I gently tipped over the chicken in the tray and removed the can while it was lay flat.
• Transfer the rest of the chicken to the serving plate and cover with foil.

For the gravy:

• Once you’ve managed to remove the can from the chicken, pour the beer in to the roasting tin.
• Using your largest ring on your hob, heat up the roasting tin on the stove, allowing the beer to ‘deglaze’ the flavours from the roasting tin. Add a little bit of water or some extra beer if you don’t think there’s enough liquid.
• Add a tablespoon of flour and use a whisk to combine with the liquids. It might look lumpy but keep whisking!

• Once it’s starting to thicken, taste and adjust seasoning if required. I like to add a little bit of lemon juice to most gravies, but it’s optional here.
• Take off the heat and transfer to a jug for pouring, or a bowl for dipping!

As Jason had gone out with his friends, I kept it simple and served my jerk beer can chicken with a hot pitta, salad and lots of the spicy gravy poured over the top. Heaven.