Holidays are officially over! Last weekend then my household is back to work and school for the year. But it has been the best holidays, I’m actually surprised by all the things we managed to squeeze in in such a limited time. Travelling across the country to my family for Christmas then back to Cape Town for a few days of work, then up the East coast for new year’s with his family. Wheeeu, it’s exhausting just thinking about it, but we did it! Well done family!
But there’s nothing better than being in your own kitchen again. I’ve missed it so much. My own knives and pots and especially my spice collection. You actually don’t realize how much your things mean to you until you need them and they’re not there anymore. If I could give my kitchen a hug I would.
So obviously first day back, I have to make dinner.
Tonight I’m making chicken! Yes chicken, I know it’s not my favourite animal in the world but I was quite disturbed by my husband’s best friend deciding to have a chicken as a pet, # such a white people thing to do in South Africa! Jokes but true! And he still eats chicken and eggs etc, so it’s not because the poor animals are animals with feelings too.
Anyway let’s not get distracted. I’m doing my LGGB roast chicken( lemon, garlic, ginger and beer) with spicy roast potatoes (inspired by my Christmas lunch) and side greens. Everything is better with beer!
What do you need?
- Whole chicken
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3 potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
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Whole garlic, 8 slices of ginger, 2 onions.
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50g of margarine
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100 ml of lemon juice
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330 ml of beer
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2 stock cubes
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salad greens
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Spices- mixed seeds(cumin, yellow and black mustard seeds, coriander seeds and cloves), 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 bay leaves, chili flakes, black mustard seeds, cumin seeds
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Herbs – 1 stick of lemon grass.
What to do!
- Start with the chicken. Slide your fingers under the skin through the bottom and the top by the neck. Stuff in lightly crushed garlic cloves, slices of ginger and knobs of margarine. Then stuff the inside of the chicken with roughly chopped onions, 3 garlic cloves, 2 slices of ginger and 50 ml of lemon juice. Season the chicken generously with salt, pepper and 1 tsp of chili flakes.
In an oven pan, place slices of onions, 2 chopped carrots, 1 lemon grass stick, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 bay leaves, 4 cloves of garlic, 4 slices of ginger. Then in goes 50 ml of lemon juice, 330 ml of beer and 2 stock cubes.
Place the seasoned chicken on top. Cover with foil and pop into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour. Then remove the foil, increase the temperature to 230 degrees Celsius and roast the top if the chicken for some colour, for 20 minutes.
- Then the potatoes. Peel and quarter potatoes, then throw into an oven pan. Dry rub the potatoes with 2 tbs of the 3 mix pheka spice, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45-60 minutes
When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven dish and rest. Take the drippings/ liquid from the chicken and add into it 1 tbs of corn flour, then continue cooking in the oven. After 10 minutes, remove from the oven, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Carve the chicken and deglaze the skin with peri peri sauce, serve with salad greens and enjoy!
