Flat Roast Thai Chook
A whole flattened chook roasting on a bed of rice and veg in one pan - marinate the night before and getting home looks like pour wine, tutor a child, into the oven.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes, plus overnight marinating
Cook time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the paste
2 shallots
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons galangal
2 tablespoons ginger
1 stalk lemongrass
6 coriander roots
2 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 limes, juiced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sugar
pepper
270ml tin coconut cream
For the chicken and rice
1 organic chook, spine removed and flattened, with 2-3 cuts along the breast and 1 on the thighs
2 cups rice
1 leek, in 5mm rounds
2 lemongrass stubs, smashed
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch baby bok choy, chopped into 2cm slices
3 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, finely shredded
1 teaspoon Massel chicken stock (I like this one because I can recognise all the ingredients and it's vegetarian)
1 cup water
1 bunch Thai basil
1/2 bag bean sprouts, detailed if you have time
2 limes, in wedges
METHOD
This is the easiest thing to prep. Make the paste on the weekend or whenever you can (alert: fridge hack) and keep it tucked away. My paste is simply a red curry paste without the chilli, so the tiny folk of my house can dine too. This makes a happy jar full, of which I only used half for this recipe.
Blitz all the paste ingredients except the coconut cream together, then mix with the coconut cream and pour it over the prepped chook the night before in a ziplock bag or covered tray.
Then you can prep your rice veg too. Put all that great stuff (the rice, leek, smashed lemongrass, cherry tomatoes, bok choy, shredded lime leaves and stock) in the tray and cover.
That way getting home looks like this: take the food from the fridge. Crank the oven to 180C. Pour wine. Tutor a child. Bath another. Add a cup of water to the rice. Put your marinating chicken on top (discard the excess marinade, or add some to the pan as well). Oil the chook. Into the oven for 45 minutes.
I may be lazy when it comes to assembly, but some things you can't skip - herbs and fresh things should be crunchy. So if at some point early on you can throw some picked basil and bean sprouts into a large pool of water and ice, you'll be happier.
Serve with fresh herbs and lime wedges, and carve the chook directly in the pan. The rice will be chewy on the edges (a la its Spanish friend paella) and lovely and soft under the chook. All the flavour and the mess contained in a single pan. #goals
HINTS
The paste is a fridge-hack all its own - it's a red curry paste minus the chilli, so it makes a full jar and keeps tucked away for next time; you only need half here.
Marinate the chook overnight in the coconut-paste mix so dinner is a fridge-to-oven job.
Refresh the Thai basil and bean sprouts in iced water early on - crunchy fresh herbs are the contrast that makes the soft rice sing.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4 - guide only):
Energy: approximately 13800kJ (3300 calories)
Protein: 175g
Fat: 155g
Saturated fat: 55g
Carbohydrates: 280g
Sugars: 20g
Fibre: 15g
Sodium: 4200mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.