THAI-STYLE ROAST CHICKEN

Thai-style roast chicken image

Provided by tweety_anja

Time 1h40m

Yield Serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 18

5 cm piece ginger, chopped
2 garlic gloves, chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, inner leaves finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 limes, zested and juiced
1.5 kg chicken
2 limes, juiced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp light brown soft sugar
300g fresh rice noodles, warmed following pack instructions
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cucumber, deseeded and sliced into half moons
1 carrot, grated
1 red chili, deseeded and sliced
100g beansprouts
1 bunch spring onions, sliced
small handful fresh coriander leaves
small handful fresh mint leaves

Steps:

Preheat the oven to gas 5, 190C, fan 170C. In a blender, blitz the ginger, garlic, inner leaves of the lemongrass (reserve the stripped outer leaves), chili, lime zest and juice (reserve the lime skins) and 1 tablespoon of oil until just pureed. Season with a little salt.
Lift the skin from the neck end of the chicken and push your hand in between the skin and the meat, separating them as far over the chicken and down into the legs as you can. Push the paste under the skin and pat to distribute evenly. Put the chicken in a roasting tin, rub with the teaspoon of oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Put the lime skins and outer leaves of the lemongrass into the cavity. Put in the oven and cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes, until cooked through or the juices from the leg run clear when pierced with a skewer.
Just before the chicken is ready, mix the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar in a small pan and warm gently to melt the sugar. In a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients for the noodles ans toss together with the warm sauce. Serve with the chicken, spooning over some of the chicken juices.