Mortar and Pestle
MAKO Black Steel 
Just as Delicious
1.5kg (3.3 lb) whole chicken
1 lemon, quartered
3 tbsp honey
Marinade:
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce, e.g. kecap manis or sweet black soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
1 tsp Chinese Five-Spice (store-bought or try my homemade version here)
Preheat oven 180°C/356°F.
Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. If you have the time, allow to marinate at least 10 minutes or overnight.
To prepare the chicken for roasting, remove the chicken from the marinade. Reserve the marinade.
Place the lemon pieces into the chicken cavity. Use kitchen string to tie the legs together. Place the chicken on a roasting rack or baking rack sitting in a roasting tin lined with foil. Roast for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, whisk the honey into the reserved marinade.
Take the chicken out of the oven and baste with the marinade. Place back in the oven to roast for a further 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and baste again. Place the chicken back in the oven and roast for another 30 minutes or until cooked through. Cover the chicken with foil if the skin starts to darken too quickly. You’ll know when the chicken is cooked when you pierce the leg joint and the juices run clear.
Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Holy Moly
Holy Moly was this good. How had I never before thought to baste a chicken with soy sauce and Chinese Five Spice?!?! I think this is going to be me “go to” easy dinner when I want to impress people. I served it up with a little Shiitake Mushroom Oatmeal Risotto – bit of a “culture clash,” I know – and a green salad. Perfect.