Spicy spatchcocked spring chicken (check that out for alliteration)

Spicy spatchcocked chicken

Food for me is never just food - it's the memories, the people I ate it with, the time of year, the weather, the beautiful ingredients, the story behind them and their producers.... Last night was a night of fun with food. We pretended to be cavemen and woman and ate whole spring chickens straight off the bones. The spicy sauce smeared round our faces like toddlers, hands all sticky.


Late afternoon on Saturday I went wedding dress shopping with E. She looked so beautiful. Dress shopping then turned into a full on confab over pear cider and chocolate truffles around the kitchen table which then turned into a quick trip to Waitrose to pick up a few things. By the time we sat down to eat it was 9.45pm. It was one of those dinners that just got later and later, we ate just at that point between dusk and night. I lit a few candles unwittingly adding to that caveman vibe.


Warning - this is not first date food. Very messy, very fun.

spring chicken or poussin if you are being posh

spatchcocked spring chicken

marinating chicken

Serves 2 - Spicy spatchcocked spring chicken
grill medium heat


2 spring chicken spatchcocked (see Marco Pierre "sellout" White spatchcock a chicken at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjIAWjsJPsc)
Marinade - good glug of olive oil
                 zest and juice of 1 lemon
                 1tsp chilli powder
                 1tsp paprika (smoked or otherwise)
                 4 fat cloves of garlic, smeared to a paste
                 an assaulting of black pepper (maybe 20-30 grinds)
                 salt to taste


Mix the marinade together and rub it into both sides of the chicken.
Leave it for a few hours ideally, I however was not waiting till midnight, it only got 10 minutes.
Grill the chicken for 25-30 minutes, turning once.
Maybe baste the chicken with the juices collecting at the bottom of the grill pan.
Once the chicken has cooked leave it to rest for a few minutes.
Scrape the sticky juicy bits form the bottom of the pan over the chicken and serve.


Enjoy.

Spicy spatchcocked spring chicken with a simple green salad