Roast chicken curry with crispy curry leaves

Name: Roast chicken curry with crispy curry leaves
Prep time: 4 h 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 5 h 30 min
Cuisine: Asian, Indian
Ingredients: 1 chicken (1.7kg), spatchcocked, at room temperature; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 red chillies thinly sliced; 30 fresh curry leaves; fine salt; 60g mayonnaise; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp medium curry powder; 1/4 tsp cayenne; 1tsp fine salt; 400g tin of full-fat coconut milk (at least 70% coconut extract); 1 tbsp tomato purée; 15g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped; 100g sweet ripe cherry tomatoes, such as Datterini; 1/2 onion, roughly chopped; 1/4 tsp cayenne; 1 1/2 tablespoons medium curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 150g water; 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt

11 steps

Prep:4h 30minCook:1h

The chicken roasts over the curry sauce, all in the same tray at the same lime, enriching the curry wth its fat and juices as it cooks. You might rightly wonder why there is mayonnaise in the marinade, but trust me on thisone, it keeps the flesh moist and the skin crispy The chicken here is spatchcocked, which is my favouite way to roast chicken. Rather than trying to explain how to do that in words, I suggest that you look on YouTube or on my Instagram highlights for a tutorial, because it's much easier to learn by watching it being done. The size of the roasting tray (32 x26cm) is important here. If your tray is larger, keep an eye on the curry sauce as it roasts, adding water to the sauce if needed, to stop it burning around the edges.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:35:14 GMT

Ingredients

4 servings

1chicken

spatchcocked, at room temperature

3 Tbspolive oil

Marinade

60gmayonnaise

2 Tbspolive oil

1 Tbspmedium curry powder

¼ tspcayenne

1 tspfine salt

Curry sauce

400gtin full-fat coconut milk

at least 70% coconut extract

1 Tbsptomato purée

15gfresh ginger

peeled and roughly chopped

100gcherry tomatoes

sweet, ripe, such as

0.5onion

roughly chopped

¼ tspcayenne

1 ½ tablespoonsmedium curry powder

½ teaspoonground turmeric

1 tablespoonmaple syrup

150gwater

1 ¼ teaspoonsfine salt

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 230°C fan/250°C. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the marinade.

Step 2

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle all over with fine salt, including the underside. Slather the marinade all over and around the chicken.

Step 3

Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight, refrigerated (in which case bring back to room temperature before roasting).

Step 4

Place all the ingredients for the curry sauce in a blender and blitz until smooth.

Step 5

Pour into a 32 x 26cm high-sided roasting tray.

Step 6

Place the chicken in the tray skin-side up on top of the curry sauce, making sure its legs are spread out so the skin can brown and crisp up evenly

Step 7

Roast for 40 minutes (without basting), until the chicken is cooked through and crispy and the sauce has thickened and is bubbling. Leave to rest for 15 minutes

Step 8

While the chicken is resting, put the 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a small saucepan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chillies and fry for 2 minutes, then add the curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.

Step 9

Drain through a heatproof sieve into a heatproof bowl. You won't need the frying oil, but keep it to drizzle over another dish.

Step 10

Transfer the chicken to a lipped platter and pour the curry sauce around it (or just serve the chicken and sauce directly from the tray). Top with the crispy chilli and curry leaves and serve.

Cooks notes

Step 11

To check if it's cooked, insert a metal skewer into the thickest part of the chicken. If the juices run clear, you're good to go. Use any leftover chicken to make Cannelloni enchiladas, page 225 To make ahead marinate the chicken up to 2 days ahead and keep refrigerated. Bring back to room temperature before roasting