Cooking - Thai Spiced Roast Chicken

ok, so I think this is rapidly turning into a blog all about food? I think I'm ok with that though, are you? :)

I have been trying to blog more about savoury foods, my posts are normally about cakes or brownies or some other sugary delight. I bake every week and my sweet tooth does mean that I am often more enthuasiastic about baking.
I love this recipe for Thai roast chicken because it is so easy to put together and tastes like you put a whole lot more effort in than you actually did. I also like having roast chicken with something other than the usual veg and gravy. I served it with coconut rice and used the leftover chicken shredded up in Singapore noodles the next day (and for pasta salad on Monday it goes a long way!)
Thai Style Spiced Roast Chicken

1 whole free range chicken, approx 1.5kgs
knob of butter
3 cloves of garlic

for thai paste:
1 stick lemongrass
large handful of fresh coriander
2 cloves of garlic
about 1 inch piece of ginger
2 green chillies
juice & zest of 1 lime
1 tsp cumin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
little dash of fish sauce
little dash of rice vinegar (or you can use cider vinegar)
groundnut or rapeseed oil

for coconut sauce:
coconut milk - approx 100ml
Preheat your oven to full whack, as high as it will go.


Prepare a thai curry paste by blitzing all the thai paste ingredients in a blender, or crushing with a pestle and mortar. Rub the paste all over the chicken and also stuff some in between the skin of the chicken and the breast and put on a metal roasting tray. Then take your other whole garlic cloves and put around the bird to roast with it. Add dots of butter on top of the chicken.

Roast for 10 minutes on the high heat to get a nice crispy skin. Then turn down to gas mark 6 / 400f/ 200c and cook for approx 1 1/2 hours, basting every now and again.

Once the chicken is cooked through leave it to rest on a plate whilst you make the coconut sauce.

Place your roasting tray on the hob and let the juices from the chicken simmer, stir to remove all the lovely juicy chicken flavour. Once it is simmering well add in your coconut milk and stir well. Bring to the boil. Sieve into a jug.

Serve your chicken with coconut rice and pour over your lovely coconutty thai gravy.

Yum!