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Chicken mechoui
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 2 x 1kg chickens, whole, split or quartered, with backbone and wings removed
- 3 spring onions, white part only, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled (optional)
- 2tbsp roughly chopped
- coriander leaves
- 2tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1½tsp sweet paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1½tsp ground cumin
- 60g unsalted butter, softened
Method
Rinse the chicken and pat it dry, then trim away any excess fat. Slide your fingers under the skin to loosen it from the flesh.
Pound the spring onions with the garlic, coriander, parsley, 1tsp salt and spices in a mortar. Blend in the butter to make a paste. Rub the paste under and over the chicken skin (and into the cavities if left whole). Arrange in a roasting tin and set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour.
Prepare a charcoal fire in a barbecue or preheat the grill to a high heat. Arrange the pieces of chicken, skin side up, over the coals or skin side down in the grill pan under the grill. After 5 minutes, turn and baste with any extra paste or the juices in the grill pan. Continue turning and basting every 5 minutes until the chickens are cooked (timing on the barbecue will depend on the heat of the coals).
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