Crispy chicken skin, juicy meat and one heck of a marinade… is there anything better than a perfectly cooked roast chicken? This Thai-inspired version is a weekend winner, and the tangy dipping sauce makes the flavours sing even more.
1 x 1.5kg (3 lb 5 oz) whole chicken
1 lime, halved
1 lemongrass stalk
1kg (2 lb 3 oz) sweet potato (skin-on), cut into chunks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp sea salt
kitchen string, to tie the chicken
Marinade:
1 lemongrass stalk (pale part only), finely chopped
4 coriander (cilantro) roots, roughly chopped
8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tsp whole white peppercorns
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
Sweet & spicy sauce:
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp chilli flakes (use more or less to suit your preference)
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
Preheat your oven to 180C/350F.
To make the marinade, use a mortar and pestle to pound the lemongrass, coriander root, garlic and peppercorns to a rough paste. Stir through the fish sauce and dark soy sauce.
Scoop the marinade over the chicken and use your hands to rub it all over. Place the lime halves in the cavity of the chicken. Fold the lemongrass stalk in half and stuff that into the cavity also. Cross the chicken legs over and use kitchen string to tie the legs of the chicken together.
Place the sweet potato into the base of a roasting tin. Drizzle with the vegetable oil and sprinkle over the salt. Toss until well combined. Place the chicken on top and roast for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until deeply golden and cooked through. In the meantime, for the sweet & spicy sauce, mix the ingredients in a bowl and set aside until ready to serve.
Allow the chicken to rest for 20 minutes before carving. Serve topped with the sweet & spicy sauce and the roasted sweet potatoes on the side.
Notes:
– If using the Panasonic 3-in-1 Convection Microwave Oven (NN-CT56M), follow the preheating and cooking times for the Auto Roast Chicken program.
