BBQ
spiced chicken, cauliflower and fennel cream
Roast chicken never
gets old. Like never ever ever gets old. There are countless variations,
flavourings and culinary persuasions to suit almost any cooking requirement.
And that’s what I love the most, it can be dressed up and dressed down, there
are infinite possibilities and persuasions to this humble concept. Here I’ve
incorporated a cauliflower and fennel cream base for a spiced yoghurt marinated
chicken; its a hunker down the weather is turning kind of roast chicken. One
I’d imagine would go well with a quiet Sunday, a lovely pinot and a Netflix
marathon.
Ingredients
Cauliflower
and fennel cream
1kg cauliflower,
broken into florets
2 baby fennel bulbs,
thinly sliced
2 small onions, thinly
sliced
6 garlic cloves
300ml milk
300ml cream
1 organic chicken, cut
into 4 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
Butter for under the
skin
Salt to season
Marinade
150ml greek style
yoghurt
½ onion, finely
chopped
3 garlic cloves,
crushed
15g (3cm piece)
ginger, finely chopped
½ tsp each ras el
hanout, black lime powder, sumac, onion powder, cayenne pepper
60 ml (¼ cup) olive
oil
Method
For cauliflower and fennel
cream, combine all ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook
until cauliflower and fennel are tender (12-15 minutes). Using a hand-held
blender or food processor, blend mixture until smooth and season to taste. Set
aside.
For spiced yoghurt
marinade, process ingredients (except oil) in a food processor until a paste
forms, then stir in oil. Lift skin of chickens, being careful not to tear and
push pieces of butter between skin and flesh. Place chicken in a non-reactive
container, rub all over with marinade and refrigerate overnight for flavours to
develop.
Preheat oven to 200C.
Heat a large cast-iron ovenproof frying pan over high heat, add 2 tbsp oil,
then season chicken to taste and cook skin-side down until golden (3-4 minutes).
Turn, then transfer to oven and roast until cooked through.
To serve, smear
cauliflower and fennel cream at base of plate. Place over chicken pieces.
Season with lemon juice. Serve.
