When I was a child my Mum would put a homemade dinner on the table every night.
She would carefully stamp and grind her own curry pastes and marinades, and as the aroma of spicy curries and casseroles, infused with the flavours of her Indian and African roots, filled our house, my brother and I would be left salivating as we impatiently counted down the clock to dinner.
As a busy Mum myself now, I often think about those delicious meals my mum created and wish I had the culinary skills, or enough time, to recreate them. Sadly I have yet to reach the yardstick set by Mum, but necessity is the mother of invention! My recipe for ‘Spicy Roast Chicken’ combines my appetite for the spicy, aromatic dishes of my youth with my desire for quick and easy family cooking.
The entire meal is cooked in one dish, so clean up is minimal, and as it cooks your home is perfumed with a mouth-watering aroma. Best of all its Moorish flavour hits the spot on a cold winter’s night when you’re craving a spicy curry or tagine, but with much less effort!
I hope you enjoy it,
Mama Mirabelle xx
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken, quartered
- 1 kg mixed root vegetables (I use a combination of potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and parsnip)
- 2 tblspns Olive oil
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Crushed garlic (as many cloves as you like, I use as whole bulb)
- Pinch of sea salt
- Grind of cracked pepper
- ¼ tspn cumin powder
- ¼ tspn coriander powder
- ½ tspn paprika (or chilli powder, or ½ a tspn of each if you like it spicy)
- Small pinch turmeric powder
Instructions
- Cut the root vegetables into 1inch pieces and combine in the bottom of a roasting dish. Add a dash of olive oil and season with a little sea salt and pepper.
- Combine all other ingredients to make a marinade, then marinate chicken and set aside in the fridge for half an hour or so, if possible.
- Place marinated chicken on top of vegetables. Cover roasting dish with aluminium foil and place in a pre-heated 180 degree celcius oven for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes remove aluminium foil and keep cooking for another 15 minutes until chicken is nicely browned and vegetables are cooked through and soft.
- Serve with garlic bread, over rice or cous cous, or with a simple green salad.
– This recipe was supplied by our forum member Mama Mirabelle. Thanks!