Turmeric yoghurt spatchcocked chicken

Print

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

1 whole chicken

For the marinade:

3 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, peeled
3cm fresh ginger, peeled
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cashew nuts

Timings

Prep time: 20 minutes plus 2 – 8 hours marinading time
Cooking time: 45 – 55 minutes depending on the size of the chicken
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes plus marinading time

Turmeric yoghurt spatchcocked chicken

If you’ve never spatchcocked a chicken before then now is your time to give it a go! You’ll need a sharp pair of scissors or poultry shears and a chicken – and that’s it. I love this way of cooking as for me it’s really the summer version of a roast chicken. Crispy skin and delicate, juicy skin. The key is to be gentle… cook it slowly and if you have one, keep the lid of the barbeque on.

Method

First, you’ll need to spatchcock the chicken unless your butcher has already done it for you. Prepare the chicken by turning it breast down with the Parson’s Nose (bottom) towards you. Using poultry shears or scissors cut up the back bone on either side of the Parson’s Nose, right up to the neck. Remove the backbone. Turn the chicken over so that the breasts are facing upwards. With the heels of your hands squash the chicken down forcefully so that it is lying flat. Using a sharp knife, score the thighs three times to ensure that it cooks evenly. Place in a container ready for marinading.

Next place the marinade ingredients in a food processor or nutribullet and blitz. Using your hands, massage the marinade into the bird well. Leave for 2-8 hours.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the barbeque to a medium heat. Place the chicken on the preheated grill and cook for 55 minutes for a large bird, 50 minutes for a medium bird and 45 minutes for a small bird (closing the lid if you have one). During the cooking time, carefully turn and baste the chicken every 10 minutes. After 25 minutes slice the skin open where the legs join the bird so that the legs cook thoroughly. It is important that you keep the heat low-medium so that you cook the bird without charring the outside. You can tell when the chicken is ready as the thigh juices will run clear.

This goes beautifully with any sides. Jacket potatoes, buttered new potatoes, sweet potato fries, quinoa salad, green salad, Greek-style salad… the choice is yours!

DOWNLOAD OR PRINT RECIPE HERE.