Roast Calamansi Chicken Sweet Potatoes Recipe |
Ingredients: Oven: Preheated to 190°C |
4 garlic cloves, 2 finely chopped and 2 bruised but left whole Small bunch coriander (cilantro), with roots, coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 2-in piece fresh turmeric 1 whole chicken, about 1.5 kg 1 calamansi (lime), cut in half 4 medium/large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into thick wedges 300 ml chicken or vegetable stock 2 tablespoons soy sauce Salt and ground black pepper |
Method: Preheat the oven to 190°C. Calculate the cooking time for the chicken, allowing 20 minutes per 500 kg, plus 20 minutes. Using a mortar and pestle or food processor, grind the chopped garlic, coriander, 2 teaspoons salt and turmeric to a paste. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and smear it with the paste. Squeeze the calamansi juice over and place the calamansi halves and garlic cloves in the cavity. Cover with foil and roast in the oven. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and par-boil the sweet potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until just tender. Drain well and place them around the chicken in the roasting pan. Baste with the cooking juices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Replace the foil and return the chicken to the oven. About 20 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the foil and baste the chicken. Turn the sweet potatoes over. At the end of the calculated roasting time, check that the chicken is cooked. Lift it out of the roasting pan, tip it so that all the juices collected in the cavity drain into the pan, then place the bird on a carving board. Cover it with tented foil and leave it to rest before carving. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a serving dish and keep them hot in the oven while you make the gravy. Pour away the oil from the roasting pan but keep the juices. Place the roasting pan on top of the stove and heat until the juices are bubbling. Pour in the stock. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping the base of the pan to incorporate the residue. Stir in the soy sauce and check the seasoning before straining the gravy into a jug (pitcher). Serve it with the carved meat and the sweet potatoes. Cook’s Tips: When the chicken is cooked, the legs should move freely. Insert the tip of a sharp knife or a skewer into the thickest part of one of the thighs. The juices that emerge from the cut should run clear. If there are any traces of pinkness, return the chicken to the oven for a little longer. Although originally native to tropical America, sweet potatoes are now a popular food crop throughout South-east Asia. There are many varieties and the flesh ranges in texture from floury to moist and in color from deep orange through gold to white. |
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