Chicken – it’s one of those things you can easily mess up and overcook / under-season, etc.
Yet, if kept simple and cooked perfectly, it can be an all-star dish.
My favourite way to cook chicken, is to cook it whole, on the braai or roasted in the oven – classic and simple.
When you cook it on the braai, you get an additional smokey flavour that’s hard to beat.
It’s best to cook it at a lower temperature, allowing the chicken to cook all the way through, without drying it out.
{Finally, I got a good pic of my roast bird! And she’s even crossed her legs 😉 }
You will need:
2 cloves of garlic
2 bird’s eye chilies
Small bunch of sage leaves
1 tbs course salt
2 tbs olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 whole chicken
Some string to tie the legs
Grind all the ingredients to a paste and rub it all over the chicken.
Let it rest for at least an hour to allow all the flavours to penetrate – you should also put some of the marinade inside the chicken cavity.
It’s SO important to season properly – you just can’t rectify over- or under-seasoned chicken once it’s been cooked…
{Don’t be shy with the salt, it’s very unlikely to under-season, and besides, most of it gets cooked off in any case.}
Braai / roast for about an hour and a half to two hours at a low-ish temperature. {Probably 140-160C}
Enjoy with a refreshing salad or some grilled veggies.
What’s your favourite way to cook chicken??
x
