Spatchcock Chicken

Spatchcock Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients
1.5 litre water
90g salt
45g soft dark brown sugar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 chicken stock cube
150ml neutral oil (vegetable or rapeseed)
1 medium sized chicken
4 rashers cooked smoked streaky bacon, cut
into strips
6/8 cooked new potatoes, cut in half
Good handful of rocket
3 spring onions, finely sliced
Reduced balsamic glaze
Extra virgin rapeseed oil
100g good quality mayonnaise
250ml dark chicken stock reduced
Juice of half a lemon

Method
1. Prepare the brine by measuring half the water and warming it up, add the sugar and salt and mix until dissolved, leave to cool then add the remaining cold water and refrigerate until needed.
2. Take the chicken and remove the backbone, flatten the chicken and gently with a knife crack the breastbone making sure you don’t cut the chicken all the way through the breast meat. Place the chicken in a container, pour over the brine making sure the chicken is fully immersed, cover with a lid and leave in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
3. Add smoked paprika, garlic powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, celery salt, ground white pepper, chicken stock cube and 150ml oil in a bowl and mix well. Take the chicken out of the brine, wash in cold water and pat dry. Rub the marinade over the chicken making sure the marinade is rubbed under the skin. Place in a container and cover overnight or a minimum of 8 hours.
4. For the chicken mayonnaise, take the chicken stock, place in a pan, bring to the boil then simmer until a syrupy consistency. Leave to cool and then mix with the mayonnaise and lemon juice.
5. Set the oven to 170c and place the chicken directly on the shelf with a oven tray underneath to catch the cooking juices and cook for 35/40 minutes making sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 75c. Rest for 15 minutes once cooked.
6. As the chicken is resting add the potatoes and bacon pieces, warm through in the chicken cooking juices for 10 minutes. In a bowl add the potatoes and bacon to the rocket and spring onion and dress with the balsamic and rapeseed oil.