Spicy stuffed chicken
Method
Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4.
Prepare the chicken: Lay the boned chicken skin side down on a clean surface, and season with salt and pepper.
Toast and crush spices: Toast cumin, coriander seeds, and cardamom pods in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 1 minute to release their aromas. Pound them in a pestle and mortar, then discard any pod pieces.
Cook the onions: Heat groundnut oil and butter in a frying pan. Fry the onions over medium heat for 10 minutes until soft but not browned. Add garlic, ginger, and chillies, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Make the stuffing: Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl, add the crushed spices, turmeric, garam masala, and chopped coriander. Stir in just enough yoghurt to bind everything into a paste.
Stuff the chicken: Spread the stuffing evenly over the chicken. Fold the sides over to meet in the middle and fold the loose skin at each end to enclose the stuffing. Overlap the legs and tie them with kitchen string. Secure the string around the bird in a few intervals to enclose it tightly.
Roast the chicken: Smear olive oil over the skin, season well, and place the chicken in a roasting tray. Roast for 1 hour.
Check for doneness: Insert a knife or skewer into the centre of the meat. If the juices run clear, it’s done; if not, cook for another 5 minutes and check again. Rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken, about 1.8kg, boned
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 8 green cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 30g butter
- 2 onions, peeled and finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely diced
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- A handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
- About 80g plain full-fat yoghurt
- About 2 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
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