Spiced roast chicken with brown sugar, limes and coconut milk

Chef and food writer Emily Dobbs recommends making this dish if you want to impress and spice up Sunday lunch.

She says: “The butter, coconut milk and chicken juices turn into a gutsy sauce. Spatchcocking quickens the cooking time and ensures the chicken is cooked evenly – even in a dodgy oven. Marinating the bird in yoghurt tenderises the meat, making it extra juicy and succulent.”

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Nutrition Facts

Spiced roast chicken with brown sugar, limes and coconut milk

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1612 Calories from Fat 1278

% Daily Value*

Fat 142g218%

Saturated Fat 89g556%

Cholesterol 331mg110%

Sodium 752mg33%

Potassium 1582mg45%

Carbohydrates 40g13%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 16g18%

Protein 57g114%

Vitamin A 3471IU69%

Vitamin C 97mg118%

Calcium 308mg31%

Iron 12mg67%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Spiced roast chicken with brown sugar, limes and coconut milk

Spice up your Sunday roast with this Sri Lankan roast chicken. Marinating the chicken in yoghurt tenderises the meat, making it extra juicy and succulent.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Resting time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Sri Lankan

Servings: 4

Calories: 1612kcal

Author: Emily Dobbs

Ingredients

• 2 kg free-range chicken
• 1/2 quantity of chilli butter (see below) melted
• 800 ml coconut milk
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the chilli butter:

• 250 g salted butter softened
• 4 red bird’s-eye chillies deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 15 g garlic peeled (optional)

For the marinade:

• 500 g natural yoghurt or curd
• 50 g fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
• 50 g garlic peeled
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

For the brown sugar limes:

• 4 limes
• 2 tbsp coconut oil melted
• 2 tbsp brown sugar or grated jiggery

To serve:

• Chopped fresh herbs
• Pomegranate seeds

Method

• Make the marinade – whizz everything in a blender, or grate the ginger and garlic into a bowl and combine with the yoghurt and spices using a wooden spoon. And make the chilli butter – also whizz everything in a blender (save half in the fridge for another time).
• Next, spatchcock the chicken. Turn it over onto its back with its head facing towards you. Cut down each side of the chicken along the spine with strong kitchen scissors, then turn the chicken over and press down hard on the breast with both hands until you have flattened the chicken. Alternatively, you could ask your butcher to do this.
• Cover the chicken with the marinade, inside and out. Leave overnight in the fridge or for at least a couple of hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and find a roasting tin that allows the chicken to fit snugly inside.
• Fit the bird in the roasting tin with the coconut milk and cook on the middle shelf for 45–50 minutes. A large 2kg chicken should cook perfectly during this time. For a slightly smaller bird, check if cooked after 45 minutes by pulling gently on a leg and seeing whether the juices run clear, basting the chicken juices and coconut milk over the chicken every 10 minutes or so.
• Meanwhile, cut the limes in half and put in a bowl. Mix in the oil and sugar and place skin side down on a baking tray with most of the sugar on the flesh. Place on the top shelf of the oven in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
• Put the chicken juices and coconut milk that remain in the tin through a sieve and season to taste with more salt or brown sugar if necessary. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving plate and leave to rest for at least 20 and up to 40 minutes uncovered, then serve it with the sieved sauce, the brown sugar limes, some chopped fresh herbs and pomegranate seeds (and any optional sides you fancy).

Nutrition

Calories: 1612kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 142g | Saturated Fat: 89g | Cholesterol: 331mg | Sodium: 752mg | Potassium: 1582mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 3471IU | Vitamin C: 97mg | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 12mg

Weligama: Recipes From Sri Lanka by Emily Dobbs, photography by Issy Croker, is published by Seven Dials, priced £25. Available from Amazon.

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