Recipe

Spring 2024

Roast Chicken, Spiced Spinach and Yoghurt by Kitty Coles

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Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

1 x 1.5-2 kg (3 lb 5 oz–4 lb 8 oz) good quality whole chicken

1 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon turmeric

A pinch of chilli flakes

3 cm (1¼ inch) piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

4 garlic cloves

400 g (14 oz) spinach

To serve:

A few heaped tablespoons of yogurt

1 fresh green chilli, finely sliced

Preparation

Kitty really loves saag aloo and often craves it, so she created this simple and delicious one-pan dinner inspired by those flavours. This is not at all like an authentic saag aloo, it’s Kitty’s own version. You can use any spices you have in the cupboard here. Kitty also made this with chicken thighs by frying them skin-side down for 5–10 minutes until golden and crisp, then roasting in the oven for 25–35 minutes until cooked through. Then continue as instructed.

Here is how to make roast chicken, spiced spinach and yogurt

  1. Preheat the oven to 240°C fan (475°F).
  2. Season the chicken all over with Maldon Sea Salt, then set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
  3. Place the chicken into an ovenproof frying pan (skillet), low-sided casserole dish (Dutch oven) or cast-iron pan. Pour the oil over the chicken and massage it in with your hands. The oil will give the chicken a little kickstart in the oven, so give it some love and attention and get the oil into every nook and cranny to achieve maximum crispness.
  4. Roast in the oven, legs at the back, for 30 minutes. After this time, reduce the heat to 180°C fan (400°F), then rotate the chicken and roast for a further 10–25 minutes until golden and crisp all over and the juices from the leg run clear. (If you have a meat thermometer, you’re aiming for 70°C/158°F at the base of the breast.)
  5. Remove the pan from the oven, then lift out the chicken and set aside on a plate to rest.
  6. Put the pan back over a medium heat and add the onions with a pinch of salt, tossing them in the chicken fat in the pan. Very slowly fry the onions for 10–15 minutes, stirring every so often until they are very, very soft and caramelised. If they start to fry too quickly, just turn down the heat and add a splash of water. Add the cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric, chilli flakes, ginger and garlic and fry for a further 5 minutes.
  7. Add the spinach a handful at a time, mixing it into the onions as you go and letting it wilt with each batch. Let this cook down for a further 4–5 minutes until the spinach has soaked up all the flavours. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add a few grinds of black pepper, then taste.
  8. Lay the chicken back on top of the spinach and serve to the table with the yoghurt and chilli.

Purchase Make More With Less by Kitty Coles

Make More With Less by Kitty Coles (Hardie Grant, £22), Photography by Issy Croker.

Looking for fool proof recipes to make your food go further? Make More With Less by Kitty Coles takes core ingredients and transforms them into flavour-packed, simple dishes. From turning a few tins of beans into a comforting bean pasta to making leftover chicken tacos! the options are endless and the creativity never stops!

You can purchase your very own copy here, where you can flick through, raid your fridge and Kitchen cupboards and get started on creating low-waste, low-fuss and versatile recipes that you will make over and over again.

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