Rethink your roast chicken …
One of the recipes I made at a recent food photoshoot was bánh xèo: a thin turmeric pancake traditionally filled with prawns and bean sprouts that you tear into pieces, wrap in lettuce and herbs, then dunk generously into Vietnamese sweet-sour fish sauce that makes everything taste better.
I was left with armfuls of Thai basil, salad and perilla leaves, so I served a version of my roast citrus chicken recipe with a platter of the herbs and rice for everyone to eat with their hands. What really made it was the sauce. Chicken fat and roasting juices mixed with fresh orange segments, ginger, chilli, roasted garlic, lime and a generous amount of fish sauce. It’s a mouthful I want you all to taste.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the chicken
1.5-2kg good quality chicken
1 tbsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp neutral oil
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
For the sauce
1 large orange
2 tbsp fish sauce
Ginger (about 3cm), finely grated
1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
For the salad platter
12-16 perilla leaves
Large bunch of Thai basil
2 little gem or other crisp lettuce hearts
Any soft herbs you like (mint, coriander)
To serve
Steamed jasmine rice
Method
1. Cut off the string around the chicken legs, then salt the chicken all over, seasoning from a height and turning it to ensure even coverage. This both seasons the meat and helps draw moisture from the skin for maximum crispness. If you have time, refrigerate for an hour or overnight. I rarely do, so I leave it out for 30–40 minutes to come to room temperature.
2. Heat the oven to 240°C fan. Place the chicken in a roasting tin that can go on the hob later.
3. Pour the oil over the chicken and massage it all over, getting into every nook and cranny. Add the garlic to the cavity.
4. Roast with the legs facing the back of the oven for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C fan, rotate the chicken and roast for another 20-30 minutes, until golden and crisp and the juices from the leg run clear. You’re aiming for 70°C at the base of the breast, if you have a thermometer.
5. Remove the chicken and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. This is non-negotiable.
6. Carefully cut off the legs. Lift the breast off the tray and place it in a large bowl to catch any juices, then pour any juices from the tray into the bowl too.
7. Tuck the garlic under the legs and return them to the oven while the breast rests. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp. Keep an eye on the garlic; you want it soft, not burnt.
8. Remove the legs and add them to the bowl with the breast. Pour all the resting juices back into the hot roasting tray and place it on the hob over a low heat, just to warm through. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skins into the tray.
9. Segment the orange by cutting off the peel and pith, then slicing between the membranes to release the segments. Add these to the tray, squeezing in any extra juice, followed by the ginger, chilli (if using), fish sauce and lime juice. Warm gently and taste for balance.
10. Carve the chicken, pour the orange and ginger sauce all over, and serve with the platter of herbs and leaves and jasmine rice.