Serves 6
A Spanish-inspired roast chicken is something a little different. Its burnished, buttery skin glistens while perched above a crusty baked rice that’s infused with the perfume of chicken juice, smoked paprika, orange and rosemary. It’s a one-tray affair that would be lovely eaten with aioli and a simple green salad.
1 x 1.6kg chicken (free-range if possible)
300g basmati rice
600ml chicken stock
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
juice of 1 orange
a pinch of chilli flakes
1 tbsp honey
200g cherry tomatoes on the vine
For the butter:
120g butter, softened
2 garlic cloves, crushed
zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp smoked paprika
Preheat the oven to 185°C.
Make the flavoured butter by mixing it with the garlic, orange zest, rosemary, paprika and some salt and pepper.
Massage the butter into the chicken thoroughly, put the chicken in a large roasting tin and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, basting the chicken once or twice.
Remove the tin from the oven and scatter the rice around the bird, then add the chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, orange juice, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper. Mix everything together, then put the tin back in the oven to cook for a further 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven once more. Drizzle the honey over the chicken, then put the vine tomatoes on the rice and return to the oven to cook for a further 15 minutes, until the rice is crusty and the chicken is fully cooked and golden.
Allow to rest under foil before carving the chicken and serving with the rice.
