Middle Eastern Roast Chicken with White Bean Salad

1. Preheat oven to 220°C fan forced.
2. Remove any excess moisture from the  chicken skin by patting dry with paper towel.
3. Combine all the seasoning in a bowl including the lemon zest. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to form into a paste. Generously rub the paste all over the skin and around the wings and thighs.
4. In a lined tray, slice one of the lemons into rounds and create a bed for the chicken to sit on. Place the marinated chicken in a lined tray skin side up into the oven for 50 mins. You are looking to char the skin for that beautiful dark tone. With the remaining lemon juice, add a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar and use this to brush over the chicken at 15min intervals.
5. For the pink garlic sauce, combine all the yogurt, vinegar, garlic, paprika and salt in a bowl; whisk till smooth and rest in the fridge.
6. To make the white bean salad; start by rinsing the cannellini beans in cold water to wash the starch off. Strain well and add the beans to a bowl with the parsley, spinach, capsicum, tomatoes, cucumber, and sliced spring onions.
7. For the dressing, place the coriander seeds, salt and sugar in a mortar and pestle, grind till fine. Add the vinegar, olive oil and whisk till emulsified. Add this to the bowl and stir till all the vegetables are marinated and coated. 
8. Once the chicken is cooked, when skewered the juices will run clear. Remove the chicken from the oven and cover the chicken with foil and rest for 15 mins to soften. 
9. To serve, cut your chicken into 4 pieces. Using a sharp knife; cut down the centre of the chicken between the breasts through the bone to cut into 2 halves, then following the breast line, separate the thighs form the breast and rest for 5 mins till juices slow.  
10. In a large platter to one side, place the baked lemon rounds and rest the chicken on top stacked. Spoon the bean salad to the side and sprinkle with a few additional capers and parsley. In a bowl add all the pink garlic sauce with a sprinkle of paprika. Voila! 

Notes

Instead of a whole butterflied chicken you can use maryland's instead. We recommend chicken with the bone in for a more tender and juicy chicken. If using maryland's, bake for 40 mins and rest for 10mins instead. 

How to butterfly a chicken

To butterfly the chicken, with the bottom of the chicken towards you, spine side up. You want to make 2 clean cuts on either side of the spine bone from the bottom to the neck removing the spine as one piece.

Recipe by Sara Stidwill from Dukkah and Spice

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