Chicken Main Asian

Turmeric roast chicken and red rice

Name: Turmeric roast chicken recipe
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /asian
Ingredients: 1.6kg whole chicken, butterflied; Thickly sliced cucumber and tomato wedges, to serve; Thai basil sprigs, to serve; 60ml seasoning sauce; 20.00 ml white sugar; 3 tsp ground turmeric; 2 tsp sesame oil; 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger; 1 tsp Chinese five-spice; 1/2 tsp white pepper; 6 garlic cloves; 5 long green shallots, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced; 60ml vegetable oil; 16 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 90g tomato paste; 850g jasmine rice; 2 tsp each chicken stock powder and white pepper

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by Khanh Ong

KHANH ONG, MASTERCHEF

Feb 09, 2024

“We Vietnamese have a chicken dish we call ‘Walking Chicken’, which has a beautiful yellow hue to its skin, and at every table over Têt you’ll see a whole poached chicken (mostly home-raised and so only eaten on special occasions), traditionally served with a very simple salt, pepper and lime dipping sauce, I’ve revamped this idea, playing homage to the yellow-skinned fowl we have in Vietnam with this turmeric heavy marinade that stains the crispy skin as it roasts. Trust me – this will become your new favourite roast chook.” – Khanh Ong

1.6kg whole chicken, butterflied
Thickly sliced cucumber and tomato wedges, to serve
Thai basil sprigs, to serve

Turmeric sauce

1/4 cup (60ml) Knorr liquid seasoning (substitute light soy sauce)
1 tbs white sugar
3 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp Chinese five-spice
1/2 tsp white pepper
6 garlic cloves
5 long green shallots, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

Red rice

1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
16 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 cup (90g) tomato paste
5 cups (850g) leftover cooked jasmine rice
2 tsp each chicken stock powder and white pepper

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper. For the sauce, whiz all ingredients, except for green part of shallot (reserve this for garnish), and 1/2 tsp fine salt in a small food processor with 2 tbs water until smooth. Reserve 2 tbs sauce and set aside.
2.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towel, then coat with remaining sauce. Place chicken on the prepared tray, skin-side up, and roast for 50-60 minutes until juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, brushing chicken skin with reserved sauce every 20 minutes. Remove from oven and rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10-15 minutes.
3.

Meanwhile, for the rice, heat a large wok or frypan over high heat. Add the oil and garlic, and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds until garlic is fragrant. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute (be careful, as mixture will spit). Add remaining ingredients and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes until all rice is coated and warmed through.
4.

Serve chicken with a side bowl of rice, scatter cucumber and tomato around the chicken and garnish with sprigs of Thai basil and reserved shallot greens.