Rendang Roast Chicken

Rendang Roast Chicken

I was digging in my fridge and found a bit of Killiney Rendang paste leftover, not quite enough to make another rendang curry and in any case, didn't feel like having one now. Hub came back from the USA and Germany (he actually had a meeting in Stuttgart just after the USA trip) late last night and would be sleeping in the next morning. So I woke up not too late today, thought about what I could do with it and came up with a whole meal started by the need to use this bit of spice paste.

Nothing special, I made Rendang Roast Chicken and accompanied it with a Sayur Lodeh (wanted a good way to eat cabbage and French beans) and Nasi Kuning (love its shiny yellow coconutness). All in a morning's work.

with Nasi Kuning

Rendang Roast Chicken :

1 large free-range Chicken

Rendang spice paste (dissolved in a little bit of hot water)

Salt

2 Lemongrass stalks

1 Star anise

half a whole head of Garlic

1 piece Galangal

1 piece Ginger

1 Kaffir lime leaf

Rub salt all over the chicken including in its cavity. Stuff it with the lemongrass, garlic, galangal, ginger and lime leaf.

before stuffing etc

Dissolve the rendang paste in a bit of hot water so that you can spread it on the chicken easily.

Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Put the chicken in the cold oven bottom side up (i.e. breast-side down). Start the oven at 220-250°C. I know we are used to cooking in a hot oven, but I have learnt this from a French cook who told me that you make crispier skin this way.

Bake for 30 minutes (the top should be nicely browned now) and then remove the chicken from the oven. Turn it over so that the breast-side is now on the top. Spread more rendang paste over it and return it to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 180°C and bake for another 10 minutes.

Switch off the oven. Remove the chicken from the oven, spread more rendang paste on it and return it to the cooling oven to relax for at least 15 minutes before serving it.