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This is a tasty option for cooking chicken, it is a relatively easy dish to prepare and it allows you to use the whole chicken which ensures costs are kept down. It is full of flavour and it is ideal for Sunday lunch or a great warming dinner for these darker evenings.
Ingredients
Large chicken (cut into eight pieces, method follows)
Bunch of thyme
1 Cinnamon stick
Selection of spices toasted and ground such as; coriander seeds, cumin, fennel seeds, nutmeg, black pepper and ground ginger
Garlic and Lemon cooking syrup
4 lemons and juice of 1-2
800g caster sugar
Thyme and rosemary sprigs
2 heads of garlic
2 litres of water
Method
Put all the ingredients of the cooking syrup in a large pot, bring to the boil then lower to a simmer. Place the chicken pieces within the cooking syrup; poach the chicken pieces for 15- 20 minutes. Leave to cool within the liquid. If you make this ahead it will allow all the flavours to infuse.
Preheat the oven the oven to 180º C
Remove the chicken pieces and pat dry. Rub the spices over the chicken pieces and season well.
In a hot large pan add oil and butter then add the cinnamon, thyme and the lemon from the cooking liquid. Cook for a few minutes until the lemons and garlic halves are nicely caramelised. Add the chicken pieces to the pan skin side down and fry for five minutes until golden brown. Put the pan in the hot oven for a further five minutes or until the chicken is hot right through.
Serve with some green vegetables and creamy mash potatoes.
Enjoy!!!
How to Cut a Chicken into Eight Pieces
Step 1
Place chicken on the board with the legs facing you. Cut through the skin between the leg and the breast.
Step 2
Bend the leg back as far as possible, so the end of the leg bone pops out from the socket.
Step 3
Cut the leg away from the body. Repeat on the other side.
Step 4
Cut through the joints connecting the drumsticks to the thighs and separate.
Step 5
Pull the wing out fully and cut it away at the joint from the breast. Repeat on the other side.
Step 6
Cut along the underside of the bird to separate the breast section of the bird from the backbone and parson’s nose (use the bones for stock). If making a breast crown (two breasts attached to the breastbone and ribs) for roasting, leave the wings attached, turn the bird over and chop through the backbone roughly halfway up with a sharp knife.
Step 7
To serve the breasts off the bone, cut either side of the breastbone with poultry shears or strong kitchen scissors then carefully remove the breast meat from the bones with a sharp knife. If serving on the bone, turn the chicken over and cut through the centre of the breastbone to separate the breasts - the wings are usually left attached when the breasts are cooked on the bone.