Masala Roast Chicken with Minted Yoghurt
A fantastic spice roasted spatchcocked chicken; this recipe could also be used on joints or breasts.
A fantastic spice roasted spatchcocked chicken; this recipe could also be used on joints or breasts.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 pound chicken spatchcocked and skin removed
- 4 limes quartered
- 6 pods cardamom remove seeds and discard husks
- 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 4 cloves
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1-2 teaspoons hot chilli powder
- ginger minced thumb sized piece
- small pot natural yoghurt
- 2 small pots natural yoghurt
- 2-3 teaspoons mint sauce
- 1/2 1 teaspoons sugar
- Carbohydrate 34.8677637550832 g
- Cholesterol 340.1942775 mg
- Fat 70.7855709230776 g
- Fiber 9.58814997033562 g
- Protein 92.2169508210275 g
- Saturated Fat 19.8733793970855 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (753g)
- Sodium 785.033159003323 mg
- Sugar 25.2796137847476 g
- Trans Fat 6.47879608608392 g
- Calories 1122 calories
Step-by-step
- Toast and grind all whole spices, mix all paste ingredients together
- Slash the meat to the bone on the thickest parts.
- Place in a shallow, non metallic dish.
- Spoon over the paste/marinade and rub in to all over
- Cover and marinade in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, overnight would be fab.
- Preheat oven to 210 c
- Roast 45-50 mins, check it is cooked through and rest for 10 mins
- Lightly whisk all sauce ingredients together
- Serve chicken with sauce and lime wedges
Removing whole spices from heat too early during dry-roasting produces a raw bitterness that permeates the entire spice paste. Toasting cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and cardamom pods in a dry skillet over medium heat for precisely two to three minutes releases essential oils without scorching them. Whole spices contain volatile compounds that ground powders lose months prior to packaging, making this preliminary step mandatory for deep aromatic complexity. Grind the cooled seeds finely in a mortar and pestle before combining them with fresh garlic, ginger, and ground turmeric.
Extending the refrigeration window beyond the minimum four hours allows the yogurt and acid from the limes to tenderize dense muscle fibers. Marinating the poultry overnight for twelve hours ensures the salt penetrates deep into the thickest breast meat, rather than just seasoning the exterior surface. Acidic marinades denature surface proteins efficiently, but leaving poultry submerged in citrus for longer than twenty-four hours breaks down the tissue excessively, resulting in a mealy texture once roasted.
Freezing this marinated bird successfully requires applying the spice paste directly to the raw meat before sealing it tightly in a heavy-duty freezer bag for up to two months. Thaw the frozen bird completely in the refrigerator over twenty-four hours before transferring it directly to a preheated 210 degrees Celsius oven. Roasting straight from a partially thawed state causes the exterior to overcook while the center remains dangerously underdone.
Swapping natural yogurt for Greek yogurt in the accompanying sauce requires thinning the mixture with a splash of water to match the loose consistency dictated by standard natural yogurt. Lemon juice functions adequately as a direct replacement if limes are absent, though lemons contribute a sharper, less floral acidity. Whisking the mint sauce gently prevents the dairy from separating while incorporating the herbal notes evenly throughout the condiment.
