Devilled Roast Chicken

As Nigella Lawson is fond of saying, you really can’t beat a roast chicken. I live alone and tend to make it on a Sunday with all the trimmings, then live on it for the rest of the week in various guises, ranging from shredded in a salad with escarole and pomegranate seeds, to comforting bowls of udon with broth and an egg, a dhansak (curry with lentils), or a pot pie. But when friends and family come to stay at the Courtyard Kitchen, it feels churlish not to give it a Moroccan twist. This roast chicken is infused with the scents and flavours of the souks and brings a little sunshine to a rainy November day. Bon profit!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large chicken (1.5-2kg), gibletsremoved, rinsed and dried well
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, well crushed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp dry harissa (or mix chillipowder and paprika to taste)
  • Juice of 1 large lemon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  1. Mix all the ingredients together and massage well into the chicken.
  2. Leave to marinade for at least an hour or, better yet, overnight.

FOR THE STUFFING

  • 250 g cooking chorizo, meat removed from casings
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 large onion, finely minced
  • 1-2 tbsp chopped dates (depending how sweet you like it)
  • 1-2 tbsp chopped chestnuts (buy vacuum-packed in El Corte Inglés)
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Olive oil
  1. Sauté the onions and garlic in oil (start in cold oil so they don’t burn) over a medium heat until soft and golden. Leave to cool slightly.
  2. Combine the rest of the raw ingredients in a bowl with the onions and mix together until well combined.

TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.
  2. Loosely fill the cavity of the marinated chicken with the stuffing  (don't overstuff or it won't cook properly) 
  3. Place in a tight fitting tray or casserole, breast side facing down (away from you) and pour over any remaining marinade. 
  4. Roast for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven and turn over so the breast is facing up. Cook for a further 45 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving, reheating the juices to pour over before you do so.

In season

November: escarole, chestnuts, caquis (persimmons), plums, pomegranates, figs, citrus, artichokes, root vegetables

Tara Stevens is a food writer and cook who splits her time between Barcelona and her cooking school, the Courtyard Kitchen, in the Fez Medina. Passionate about Spanish and Moroccan cuisine, she takes traditional recipes and gives them a modern makeover using local and seasonal ingredients. Follow Tara on Instagram @courtyardkitchenfez and Twitter @taralstevens.