So many recipes, so few days in the month.
With over 800 recipes to choose from, Charmaine Solomons – The Complete Asian Cookbook – is proving to be quite the challenge as The Cookbook Guru book of the month.
Lucky for me, a friend tagged a few of her favourite recipes. Thanks Sue S. This was definitely a fine recipe to tag.
A simple yet amazingly tasty meal to prepare.
I ended up using a whole chicken instead of pieces. Just cut out the backbone and flatted the bird by pushing down on the breast. It cooks faster and more evenly than leaving it whole.
I added a couple of other ingredients too.
Oven Roasted Spiced Chicken.
1 free range whole chicken (or 1.5 kg chicken pieces)
3 cloves garlic – minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4tsp five spice powder
1 red chilli – finely chopped (optional, we love chilli)
4 Tblsp light soy sauce
3 Tblsp peanut oil
1 Tblsp dry sherry
2 large potatoes cut into slices 5mm thick (optional but delicious)
In a bowl mix together the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, five spice, chilli, soy sauce, peanut oil and sherry. Pour over your chicken and leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Spread the potato slices in a roasting dish (which I cover with foil or baking paper for easy cleaning). Lift the chicken out of the marinade and lay it, skin side down, on top of the potatoes. Pour the marinade over the chicken.
Roast in a pre heated 180 c oven for 30 minutes, turn the chicken over (skin side up) and cook for another 30 minutes.
The skin will be crispy and the potatoes will have soaked in all the delicious juices and be cooked to perfection.
Lona's in the kitchen 
Definitely a fine recipe to tag, thanks for sharing. I have a whole chicken planned for tomorrow’s dinner. I know now exactly how I’ll prepare it!
Thankyou. We’ll be enjoying the leftover chicken cold with a big bowl of salad tonight. Can’t wait.
Reblogged this on The Cook Book Guru and commented:
Another beautiful contribution from Lona, this time in the form of a roast chicken all spiced up! It might be just the way to mix up your weekly roast!
Leah
This looks sensational! I love the idea of spicing up a roast chicken. On the must make list 🙂
Thanks Leah. We’re not normally big roast chicken fans but this recipe came recommended so I gave it a go. Maybe we are roast chicken fans after all.
I like the idea of using potatoes under the chicken – looks like I’ll now be revisiting one of my favourites with a new twist!
By the way, the chicken is also excellent cold the next day. Great on picnics too.
We had leftovers with salad and corn. Thanks for pointing this recipe out. Probably wouldn’t have taken too much notice of it otherwise. Would have been our loss.
Hi Sue.
Mum use to do this all the time. The potatoes take on the flavour of whatever you coat the meat with. We also had potatoes under our roast beef or lamb. We would all fight over the ones on the edge of the roasting dish cause they were soggy in the middle and crispy around the edges. Memories…
Hi Lona, I just checked out the recipe in my book. It is one I would not have noticed and now it has a tag on it. That is the best part about The Cook Book Guru.
Very true Glenda. People notice different recipes and this way bring them to the attention of others.
It’s good to see new people joining in.
Dear Lona,
Your roast chicken looks really enticing. I use a turbo broiler to roast chicken and the skin always turns out to be very crispy.
Thankyou.
If there was any left, I’d offer it.
We don’t own a turbo broiler but I bet the meat turns out nice and moist every time.
Cooked this for dinner last night, only omitted the chilli to appease my two boys! We all loved it, the potatoes were scrumptious.
Glad you liked it Melinda. Sue S. from Menai recommended this recipe. I’ll definitely be making it again. Maybe more potato next time.