We've been having a bit of a chicken run lately, with the perfectionist in the house trying to get his roast chicken just right. I have to admit, the combination of ingredients that make up the marinade is somewhat unconventional as we have settled on an east-meets-west fusion of flavours.
Ingredients for the marinade:
Olive oil
Sweet soy sauce
Light soy sauce
Peri peri sauce
Hot sauce
Marmite
Black pepper
Salt
Honey
Juice of one lemon
Fennel seeds
Mustard seeds
With the chicken in a large bowl, rub on some olive oil followed by the rest of the marinade ingredients (at your descretion) and allow the ingredients to work their magic for at least 45 minutes.
Pop the chicken into a pre-heated oven (to 220°C.), with breasts facing downwards. After 20 minutes, flip the chicken over so that the breasts are now facing upwards and roast for a further 25 minutes.
You have probably noticed that in the pictures, the chicken is resting ever so comfortably on a bed of potatoes. Seasoned with some salt, black pepper, basil and a dash of olive oil, roasting the potatoes with the chicken gives them a lovely flavour.
It's worth noting that this is not so much a recipe as it is a guideline because really, it's the discovery of the interesting mix of flavours that I really wanted to share this time.
A couple of things we picked up from all the experimenting:
1. The vinegar in the hotsauce helps tenderize the meat
2. Flipping the chicken over helps the skin crisp up evenly
3. Butterflying the chicken really helps with reducing cooking time
I love how something as traditional as roast chicken can be so versatile. While I tend to lean towards a sweeter marinade, ultimately it's really about whatever tickles your fancy.
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