Hmmm, so I’ve read about all kinds of scrumptious eats such as scones & pies, cakes & pastries and meat pies and roasts all through my childhood in various books written by western authors especially by Enid Blyton in all her lovely books during my early childhood. Each time I read her book I would feel oh-so-hungry cuz she described all the fine details of a grand meal that her characters would have. Hearty breakfasts, early lunches, high teas with a dozen yummy snacks & of course the supper with a simple soup or a grand English dinner with a roast or a steak.
I would always make sure I grabbed something to sink my teeth into each time i flipped a foodilicious page of her most endearing books. When I turned to my own kitchen, my mommy would always have only Indian fare to offer. Anyways, that never disappointed me either because I am such a lover of Indian food. It is just recently that in my quest to discover other cuisines that I asked my friend Jen for some simple & easy to make (and grill) recipes as I had to put my new OTG to use.
Here is one of the most simple yet delicious recipes of a chicken roast. Preparation time is not more than 10-15minutes as you need to use simple ingredients which you would stock up in your pantry (skip the herbs if you really don’t stock them up). Grilling time takes about a hour and 15minutes if your chicken is small & tender. It is suggested to serve this immediately when done because it is best eaten when it’s piping hot! Unfortunately I made this late evening & by the time it was done we were so famished that I totally forgot to click the picture of the entire chicken!
Simple Chicken Roast
Recipe Source: My friend Jen
Serves: 2-3
You Need:
Serves: 2-3
You Need:
- 1 kg whole chicken with skin
- juice of 1 lime (reduce this to about 3 quarters of a lime if you prefer it less tangy)
- 2 tsps pepper (i used a combination of white & black pepper)
- 2 tbsp butter (use less if you are health conscious or just skip it & use olive oil as necessary)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (ideally the one that is suitable for grilling & baking)
- 7-8 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp oregano*
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- salt to taste (I used about 1 level tsp)
For serving:
- 1 large potato – boiled, peeled & mashed & sprinkled with a dash of pepper
- 1 cup green peas – boiled
Note*: You can use any dried herbs – I usually stock oregano, rosemary & thyme
Method:
1. Wash the innards of the whole chicken well, drain well (or use a kitchen towel to wipe it dry)
2. With your fingers, gently loosen up the skin so that you get pockets between the skin & flesh of the chicken – this is where your marinade goes. This is the whole reason why you need to buy a whole chicken with skin as it gives this lovely flavour to the roast.
3. Alternately make a coarse paste out of the lime, olive oil & garlic and mix it with the pepper, butter, herbs & salt to make a smooth marinade.
4. Use a spoon or with your fingers apply the marinate well inside the skin onto the flesh. Flip the chicken over & repeat the process. Use whatever’s remaining to marinate inside the chicken as well.
5. Fasten the ends of the chicken with a toothpick/cocktail stick so that the marinate doesn’t spill out.
6. Preheat oven to 170 degrees on Grill mode & grill for 1 hour turning the chicken over halfway through the grill time. Baste it with its own juices every 15 minutes or so.
7. Check doneness of meat by inserting a skewer between the thigh & chest of the chicken.
8. Serve piping hot with mashed potatoes & boiled green peas!
Hi Shireen, the chicken looks yummy! How long did you let the chicken marinate before grilling?
Hi Athena, thanks so much! actually since I was in a hurry to put dinner on the table that evening I did not marinate the chicken for more than 10minutes (which was pretty much the time taken by my oven to preheat). If you have the time you can prepare the chicken & leave it in the fridge for a good 2 hours before you grill it. The result will be even better 🙂