This bright, sunny recipe is the perfect centrepiece for a summer supper. Spatchcocked for speed, glazed three times with a sticky, citrussy marinade of Tahiti Lime Marmalade, fresh chilli, rapeseed oil and lime, and roasted until charred at the edges and golden all the way through. Served on a platter surrounded by crispy new potatoes, lime slices and a scatter of fresh coriander - it's anything but your average roast chicken.
Spatchcocking cuts the cooking time right down and means every bit of skin gets the heat it deserves: crisp, sticky and deeply flavoured from the glaze. If you've never done it before, Helen's notes below will walk you through it. It takes about two minutes and makes a real difference.
About the marinade
The Tahiti Lime Marmalade is what makes this recipe sing. Bitter, sweet and intensely citrusy, it caramelises beautifully in the oven and creates a glaze that clings to the chicken as it cooks. Combined with fresh chilli and a good squeeze of lime, it's sharp, warming and a little bit addictive.
Shop Tahiti Lime Marmalade
How to serve it
Crispy new potatoes and seasonal greens or a fresh salad are all you need alongside. Bring it to the table whole and carve it there: that's the point of spatchcock, the whole bird on one platter, golden and ready to pull apart.
Taking it to the BBQ
This recipe works brilliantly on the barbecue too, and over the bank holiday weekend that's exactly where it deserves to be.
Set up your grill with two heat zones: one side on direct heat, the other with no coals or burners underneath. Place the spatchcocked chicken skin-side up on the indirect heat side, close the lid and cook for 40-50 minutes, glazing with the marinade in the same three stages as the oven method.
Once the chicken is nearly cooked through, move it over to the direct heat skin-side down for a final 5-10 minutes to get those charred, crispy edges. Rest for 10 minutes before serving. Use a meat thermometer if you have one: you're looking for 75C in the thickest part of the thigh.
Full recipe below!
