Firstly, I did not cook this. My aunt came for dinner a couple of weekends ago and madr this for us. I’m no fan of beer, but this is absolutely divine. It makes the chicken so succulent and the gravy could win awards. There are a few versions of this knocking around -Jamie Oliver does one in his America Book but this version is from Leon. As i’m not a beer expert, the advice from those that are is that the best one to use is Heineken.
We had ours with mash and buttermilk coleslaw, I suggest you do too!
You’ll need:
1 x whole chicken (1.5kg)
1 x 440ml can of beer
3 bay leaves
Large sprig of thyme
1 spring onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 red jalapeno chilli
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tablespoon of cajun mix (see below)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
25g unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the cajun mix:
2 tbsp ground paprika
1-2 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried chilli flakes (we used kashmiri chillis)
♡ For the cajun mix, put all the ingredients into a clean jar and skake well. Whizz with one of those mini choppers if you have one or a pestle & mortar will do. Store in a jar until you need it.
♡ Next season the chicken cavity with salt and pepper. Open the beer can and take a sip. Put the bay leaves, thyme, spring onion, garlic and jalapeno into the can. Stand it on a roasting tray and push the chicken down onto the can. Most of the can should fit into the chickens cavity.
♡ Mix the olive oil and cajun mix together, along with the cumin. Brush it all over the chicken. Roast in a preheated 200° oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Baste a couple of times.
♡ When cooked, remove the chicken from the can and set aside. Tip the contents of the can onto the roasting tray and cook over a high heat until the beer has reduced by two thirds. Then stir in the butter.
♡ You can serve the chicken however you want. The buttermilk coleslaw really complimented it, but you coulf also serve it in a pitta bread with loads of salad or some spicy wedges.
♡ Enjoy
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