SPANISH BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN WITH LEMON & GARLIC SAFFRON RICE

Serves: 4  |  Prep Time: 10-15 mins  |  Cook Time: 30-40 mins

You’ll have to trust us with this… this recipe for Spanish Butterflied Chicken is good and by good we mean very good. If you’re a lover of a bit of Spanish spice, please give it a go.

Butterflied chickens are a great way to enjoy a whole chicken in a fraction of the time so it’s perfect for a mid week dinner. They also cook more evenly than a traditional roast chicken.

Make sure you try this with one of our moisture infused chickens – they are a dream to cook. The chicken has been brined/infused so are almost fool proof to cook. It produces an incredibly moist & tender chicken, seasoned from the inside out – EVERY TIME.

Regardless of whether you use a moisture infused/brined chicken – this marinade is delicious. We’ve already made this recipe a few times before even publishing this blog, we love it that much.

In addition to the rice, it would be great served with some sautéed chorizo and vegetables or a leafy salad with a tangy dressing.

Recipe and images courtesy of Alana Lowes.

INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken, butterflied
1 garlic head, cut in half
1 lemon, thinly sliced

MARINADE
1 long red chilli, deseeded
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground sweet paprika
2 tsp ground smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves
3 coriander roots
Juice of 1 lemon

SAFFRON RICE
1 tbsp ghee or butter
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed until water runs clear and drained
2 tsp saffron powder
3 cups water

TO SERVE
fresh coriander leaves

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place all the ingredients for the marinade into a small food processor and blend until smooth.

Place the chicken breast side up onto a roasting tray lined with baking paper. Rub the chicken all over with the marinade. Surround the chicken with the lemon slices and the garlic halves.

With the skin side up, roast the chicken for 35-40 mins or until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted in the thigh of the drumstick and the skin is crispy and golden in colour.

Meanwhile, to cook the rice, add the ghee to a saucepan, once melted pour in the rice and stir to coat the rice kernels in the ghee, cook for 30 secs over a medium heat then add in the saffron and the water, stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook covered for 10 mins. Turn the heat off and keeping it covered, allow to absorb the remaining water for 10-15 mins.

To serve, scatter the coriander leaves over the chicken and serve with the hot rice, lemon slices and roasted garlic halves.

If you make this recipe, please let us know! Post a pic on Facebook or Instagram and tag us #meatatbillys.