Ka-pow roast chicken

Nadia's incredible ka-pow roast chicken gives a real kick! The blended-up pear used in the marinade adds a lovely sweetness and helps to get a beautiful caramelisation on the butterflied chicken.

Serves 5

Prep

20M

Cook

Marinate

Total

1H 20M

Ingredients

Ka-pow marinade

2-3 tbsp hot chilli sauce* (nadia used sriracha)

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 fresh red chilli, chopped

3 teaspoon soy sauce* or fish sauce*

1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoon brown sugar

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 centimetre ginger, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon vinegar – eg malt (avoid if eating gluten free) or apple cider

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and chopped

Chicken

1 tablespoon smooth peanut or almond butter

1 whole chicken

2 spring onions, finely sliced, to garnish

1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

1.Blend all the marinade ingredients in a blender until smooth.

2.To butterfly the chicken, use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors to cut down either side of the backbone (from neck or tail end). Discard backbone (or freeze for making stock). Turn chicken over so it is breast-side up and press down with your hands to slightly flatten it. There you go, you’ve got a butterflied chicken!

3.Place chicken in a large glass dish or on a plate and slather with the marinade. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

4.Preheat oven to 230°C. Lift chicken out of marinade and place in a roasting dish or on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Pour leftover marinade into a small pot, stir in the peanut or almond butter and simmer for about 5 minutes or until thick and sticky.

5.Spread this all over the chicken, season chicken with salt and roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes (switch to grill for the last 5-10 minutes) until cooked through and the marinade is caramelised and a bit charred.

6.Garnish with spring onion and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.