Method
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 free-range chicken, weighing approximately 1.5kg
- 300g of Tilda basmati rice
- oil
Marinade
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch of coriander, large, stems and leaves separated (use the leaves for the sauce)
- 1 tbsp of light brown sugar, heaped
- 3 tbsp of warm water
- 2 tbsp of fish sauce
- 2 tbsp of dark soya sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper
Green sauce
- 3 spring onions, large, white part only
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 bird’s eye chilli, green
- groundnut oil
- sea salt, to taste
Method
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To begin, make the marinade. Finely mince the garlic and coriander stems. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water, then combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl, stirring to mix well. Rub all over the chicken and let the chicken sit in the marinade in a large ziplock bag overnight. Turn the bag occasionally so that all sides stay coated with the marinade
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On the day of cooking, preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
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Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it come back up to room temperature. Pat with paper towels to remove the marinade and place on a roasting tray
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Drizzle lightly with oil, place on the oven’s middle rack and roast for 2 hours, basting it regularly with its own juices. Turn the oven up to 220°C/gas mark 8 and let the chicken cook for another 15–20 minutes, or until golden brown
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hile the chicken is in the oven, prepare the other elements of the dish. Wash and drain the rice. Cover with cold water and leave to soak. Blitz all the ingredients for the green sauce together, adding just enough oil to make a smooth runny sauce, sort of like a pesto. Season to taste with salt. Keep the sauce covered in the refrigerator so it doesn’t lose its vibrant green
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When the chicken is ready, remove it from the oven, lifting it from the tin onto a chopping board, and cover loosely with a foil tent
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While the chicken is resting, drain and tip the rice into a rice cooker. Pour the chicken roasting juices into a measuring jug and top up with enough water so you have 300ml liquid altogether. Add to the rice and let the rice cooker do its magic
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For those without a rice cooker, bring the rice and roast chicken juices to a boil in a saucepan, then cover and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Let the rice cook, undisturbed, for about 10–15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Turn the heat off, give the rice a stir, and put the lid back on, letting it finish cooking by steaming in the pan’s residual heat, for another 5 minutes
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When ready to serve, carve and chop the chicken into generous bite-sized pieces before serving with the fragrant rice and green sauce
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You can use Tilda Pure Basmati Rice as an alternative
