Chilli-stuffed chicken

Roast chicken with a twist – a flavour-packed stuffing of chillies, coriander and ginger.

Preparation

Grate and juice the limes. Deseed and roughly chop the red chillis. Peel and roughly chop the root ginger.

1 Place the chicken on a clean chopping board and pat dry with kitchen towel.
2 Starting at the neck end, gently ease your fingers between the skin and the breast meat. Loosen the skin away from the flesh, taking care not to tear it, and create a pocket. Set aside.
3 Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5 (170°C for fan ovens).
4 Put the chillies, ginger, coriander, garlic, lime rind and juice into a food processor. Add half of the oil, season and whizz to a rough paste.
5 Push the paste under the skin of the chicken, spreading it out to cover the breast meat.
6 Smooth the skin back over the paste and tuck the excess skin under the chicken.
7 Transfer to a roasting tin and drizzle over the remaining oil. Season and roast for 11⁄2 hours.
8 Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a sharp knife. If the juices run clear, it’s cooked. If not, return to the oven for 15 minutes and test again.
9 Leave to rest before carving and serve with the salad leaves and ciabattas.