CURRIED ROAST CHICKEN, DURBAN STYLE

Curried Roast Chicken, Durban Style image

In Madhur Jaffrey's book "From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes From the Indian Spice Trail" (Clarkson Potter, 2003), which explores the dispersion of Indian food worldwide, there is a recipe from Durban, South Africa, for chicken roasted whole with a forcefully seasoned ginger and chili paste. The chicken is skinned before seasoning and cooking, not a demanding job but one that requires care. The fragrant heat of the chicken, which stayed moist thanks to its foil cocoon, even seemed to tease some spicy flavors from the Marcel Lapierre Morgon Beaujolais I poured with dinner. The fruitiness of the wine helped tame the heat.

Provided by Florence Fabricant

Time 2h

Yield 3 to 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 3 1/4-pound whole chicken, skinned
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 2-inch piece peeled ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 small fresh green chilies, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, preferably coarsely ground
Freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Cut two deep diagonal slits, down to the bone, in each chicken breast and one in each leg and thigh. Place chicken, breast side up, on a sheet of heavy-duty foil large enough to enclose it. Place in a roasting pan.
Place lemon juice, ginger, garlic, chilies, salt, oil, cumin and coriander in a blender and process to a thick purée. Rub purée over chicken, inside and out, and into slits. Set chicken aside 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Dust chicken with chili powder and black pepper, enclose in foil and crimp to seal. Roast 1 hour.
Open foil and baste chicken. Return, uncovered, to oven for 15 minutes, basting twice more. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Pour juices from foil into a small dish and serve alongside chicken.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 626, UnsaturatedFat 30 grams, Carbohydrate 6 grams, Fat 45 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 48 grams, SaturatedFat 12 grams, Sodium 771 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams, TransFat 0 grams