Honey gochujang chicken roasted on one big tray with chickpeas and red onion, served with warm flatbreads and a swirl of garlic yoghurt hummus. Slap it down, rip it out of the oven, chuck it on the table and let everyone dig in.
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35-40 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the chicken
2 small whole chickens (about 1.2kg each)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
juice of 1 big lemon
olive oil
salt
For the tray
olive oil, for drizzling
2 red onions, cut into thin wedges
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained
For the garlic yoghurt hummus
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup hummus
1/4 cup garlic toum (garlic dip)
To serve
flatbreads, roti, Lebanese bread or Greek pita
extra virgin olive oil
a huge handful of parsley, chopped
cucumbers, steamed green beans or lettuce
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced.
Spatchcock the chickens, then cut each one into 6 pieces - drumsticks, thighs and breasts, leaving the wings on.
Mix the garlic powder, honey and gochujang together and toss one of the chickens through it. No need to marinate - it goes straight onto the tray.
Drizzle a big flat roasting tray with olive oil, then throw in the red onion and chickpeas. Pop all the chicken on top, placing the breasts in the centre of the tray. Squeeze the lemon juice over both chickens, then season with salt and drizzle with a little more oil.
Roast for 35 - 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crispy.
While that's cooking, heat your flatbreads, and swirl the Greek yoghurt, hummus and garlic toum together in a bowl.
Once the tray is out of the oven, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle over the parsley. Serve straight from the tray with the flatbreads, garlic yoghurt hummus, and some cucumbers and steamed green beans or lettuce on the side.
HINTS
I only tossed one chicken in the honey gochujang, and I regret not tossing both. Double the garlic powder, honey and gochujang if you want the lot coated.
Put the chicken breasts in the centre of the tray. They cook faster, and the edges of the tray get the heat quicker in the oven.
Don't make my mistake - 35 to 40 minutes, not 45 to 50. That said, the crispy burnt skin bits did not disappoint when mopped up in the bread.
I was going to use harissa, but gochujang is what I had in the fridge. And quite frankly, it left a really beautiful deep flavour and all the spice had burnt off.
It's always good to have a handy pack of frozen roti in the freezer. Otherwise use some beautiful Lebanese bread or Greek pita, whatever you feel.
Add a bit of the yoghurt to your bread and scoop up some of those oily, oniony chickpeas.
NUTRITION (per recipe total - serves 4-6 - guide only):
Energy: approx. 5,500 kcal (23,000 kJ)
Protein: approx. 355g
Fat: approx. 360g
Carbohydrate: approx. 185g
Sodium: approx. 3,600mg
Excludes flatbreads, sides and added salt.
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.