KFB Foodie Talk: Simple whole roast garlic-chili chicken - How to roast chicken whole

 


For our newbies, the KFB foodie talk column - handled by Dobby of Dobbysignature -  is basically for ladies and 'guys' that are interested in learning how to cook better  ;).

We cook a lot of chicken at our house...mainly because we've got lots of farmer friends who gift out chickens all the time especially when the harvest is good. When you get used to seeing chicken all the time, you also get used to the popular methods of preparation such as boiling, frying or smoking. As the chief cook in the house, these methods have become some kind of routine for me. It's not just a weekly thing; it's a couple times a week at least. 

This time, I decided to do something different for the fam...roasting it whole. Believe me when i say whole roast garlic chili chicken is a show stopper any day, anytime. For roasting, i prefer using broiler chicken (not old layer) because it's more fleshy and tends to absorb the spices it's coated with better giving it a nice taste once it's done. 

The garlic and chili combo never fails any day any time. I also love mine with a peppery outer layer so i keep re-coating the chicken while it grills with more garlic chicken marinade......Yummy! If you do get to try this out, don't forget to let us know how it turned out.

Simple whole roast chili garlic chicken - How to roast chicken whole. 

Prep time:  20 min
Inactive:     20 min
Cook time: 1 hr 30 min

Equipment you'd need::

• Roasting pan or any other oven-proof dish

Ingredients:::

•1 whole medium sized chicken

•1 cup Vegetable oil or melted butter/margarine

•1 tbsp. Salt

•4 tbsp. Powdered chili pepper (or as much as needed)

•10 Garlic cloves, minced

•1 tsp. Thyme

•1 tsp. Curry powder 

•1 Onion, blended

•Fresh herbs, i.e curry leaves optional

Directions:::

Step 1: The first step is to prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, combine the salt, powdered chili pepper, minced garlic, onion blend, thyme, curry powder together. Add vegetable oil or melted butter/margarine and mix. 

Step 2: Rinse the chicken which has been fully gutted with the internal organs removed. Place the chicken on a bowl. Brush the mixture in step 1 above all over the chicken including the inner part. If you've got a ziploc bag, this stage would be easier. just place the chicken in the bag and pour the mixture in step 1 into it then seal. Leave the chicken to sit in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to marinate. 

Step 3: Pre-heat the oven to about 450°F. Transfer the chicken onto the roasting rack, breast-side up. You can roast the chicken in a pan alone or elevate it a little by putting roughly chopped vegetables underneath. If desired, peel extra garlic cloves, onion and stuff the inside of the chicken with the herbs. This adds subtle flavor to the chicken. With a twine, tie the legs of the chicken together. 

Step 4: Place the rack in the oven (middle layer) and leave to roast uncovered for about 1hr 30 minutes undisturbed. While roasting, the chicken will bring out it's juice which you can use for other recipes such as gravy. 

Step 5: As a personal preference, i love my chicken extra peppery with a slightly crisp exterior so i brush on some extra mixture in step 1 and pop it in the grill for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the oven and leave to rest for about 20 minutes undisturbed before serving. Serve it with jollof rice, fried rice, white rice, salad, yam, beans or any dish you can think of.