Latin food is so so tasty and this recipe is a great place to start your South American culinary journey, it takes very little time, as with all marinades the longer its on the better before cooking but 30mins is fine if you're in a rush, serve it with a delicious charred sweetcorn salsa and you're winning. This recipe is for a spatchcocked chicken, basically turn the chicken over and using sharp kitchen scissors cut the backbone out, then turn back over and push hard on the breasts to flatten it out, this will save about 30mins cooking time, but you can cook it without spatchcocking if you prefer just lengthen the cooking time.
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking time low and slow 2.5hrs
1 whole chicken about 1.5kg spatchcocked
2 medium green chillis, roughly chopped and desseded
1 scotch bonnet chilli, seeds removed and roughly chopped (use glove and try not to cut through the stalk at the top)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Juice of 1 lime
1tbsp honey
1tbsp ground cumin
1tbsp ground coriander
1tsp smoked paprika
1/2tsp turmeric
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp pepper
Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
2tbsp olive oil
300ml corona beer
2 corn cobs, kernels removed
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1/2tsp chilli flakes
Juice of 1 lime
Small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
2tbsp extra virgin oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Use a food processor if possible and add all of the marinade ingredients blitz until smooth. Place your spatchcock chicken in the oven dish you're going to cook it in ad using gloves massage the marinade into the chicken on all sides, being sure to get it in all the nooks and crannies. Cover and allow to marinade in the fridge for as long as possible but at least 1hour.
Remove your chicken from the fridge 20mins before cooking, during this time turn your oven on to 160ºc to preheat.
Pour the corona beer in the bottom of the oven dish, this will create a lovely flavoursome steam and keep the chicken lovely and juicy. Pop the chicken in the oven for 2hrs15mins, or until internal temperature taken from the thickest past of the chicken reaches at least 76ºc and juices run clear. Times may vary depending of the plumpness of your chicken. You can also turn your oven up to 180ºc for the last 15mins to get some colour on top of the chicken if needed.
While the chicken is in the oven start the corn salsa... Place the sweetcorn into a dry pan that has been heated to high, leave still until it begins to char, stir and then leave it again, this should take 10 mins in total.
Once nicely charred place in a bowl and add all the other salsa ingredients, stir to combine and leave to the side until the chicken is ready.
Enjoy!!
For some added char on the chicken, finish on the bbq or under the grill for the last 10mins.
