- 2½5kg av. whole chicken
- 60g honey
- 3 tbsp tamari
- 3 garlic cloves
- A thumb of ginger
- 37½g sesame seeds
- 1.
Heat your oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5. Take the chicken out of the fridge, unwrap it and remove the giblets (you can use them to make giblet stock). Pop the chicken in a roasting tin. Let it come to room temperature – around 30 mins should do.
- 2.
While the chicken is warming up, make the honey and tamari glaze. Pop the honey in a bowl and stir in 2 tbsp of the tamari. Peel the garlic cloves and crush or grate them. Add them to the bowl. Peel the ginger and grate it into the bowl.
- 3.
Add the sesame seeds to the bowl. Stir to mix everything together into a marinade.
- 4.
Spoon the marinade all over the chicken to coat it. You can tie the legs together with kitchen string to keep them neat, or just leave them as they are. Loosely cover the chicken with a large sheet of foil, scrunching it onto the sides of the tin. Slide into the oven and roast the chicken for 1 hr, then remove the foil and roast for another 20 mins.
- 5.
Take the chicken out of the oven and check whether it’s done by inserting a skewer into the thick part of a thigh. If the juices run clear, it’s ready. If not, slide back into the oven for another 5-15 mins.
- 6.
When the chicken is cooked, take it out of the oven and rest it on a warm plate or board, loosely covered with foil, for 20 mins before carving.
- 7.
- Tip
Next week
We're heading to China and giving organic pork shoulder an aromatic makeover. China 5 spice, black pepper, ginger and a astringent touch of vinegar make a marvellous marinade for roast pork, cooked till the flesh is melting and juicy and the skin has turned into crackling. - Tip
On the side
Stir-fried greens make a quick side to go with your roast chook. Shred pak choi, cavolo nero, kale or cabbage leaves. Heat a wok till it's smoking hot and add a splash of oil with a pinch of cumin seeds, some dried chilli flakes and crushed garlic. Stir fry for a few secs, then add the greens and stir fry till starting to soften. Add chicken stock, tamari, a splash of vinegar and a pinch of sugar. Stir fry for a few more mins, then serve with rice and the chicken.
