Pot Roasted Coconut Chicken Recipe

This pot roasted coconut chicken is beautiful – however easy to make with so few substances. That is the sort of meals I actually like to make. And it simply occurs to be good for you!! It’s a recipe from the “Really feel Good Meals” cookbook by Valli Little, an icon within the Australian meals trade, chef, cookbook creator, and journal editor.

It’s not daily that you just get to satisfy a legend within the Australian cooking trade. Nicely, for me, it’s by no means. I reside an abnormal life with out sparkle and glamour. So once I was requested if I’d be fascinated with checking out Valli Little’s new cookbook and never solely that, if I wish to meet her….nicely! Let me inform you, it was like Christmas got here early!!

I’ve to confess, I used to be a bit nervous. Valli graciously invited me to satisfy at her home and from the second I stepped into her home, it was like assembly an outdated buddy. You know the way some individuals have the flexibility to place individuals comfy and make them really feel welcome immediately? Valli Little has that. The factor that struck me a lot about her was how humble and abnormal she is. With a streak of cheeky. She’s similar to you and I, your neighbour, your buddy, your mum, your work colleague.

Oh wait. She simply occurs to be some of the well-known professionals within the Australian meals trade. Meals Director of Scrumptious journal, creator of the Scrumptious collection of cookbooks, professionally skilled at Le Cordon Bleu in London, extensively travelled. I see her recipes all over the place!

There’s one thing else that actually struck me about Valli. Her ardour for meals. (Information goes with out saying). She actually loves what she does. I imply actually. You hear about how individuals’s eyes sparkle after they speak about one thing they’re enthusiastic about. And that’s what I noticed when Valli and I chatted casually about her background, household, what it’s like to jot down cookbooks, her apparently not-so-schmancy life within the journal world (she actually burst my bubble there), and naturally meals.

When I’m with my household, we’re often consuming, cooking, planning our subsequent meal, speaking or arguing about meals. Take away the arguing half, and my morning with Valli was like spending it with my household. It was that snug and I used to be proper in my zone, chatting about what I like!

I used to be fairly intrigued to listen to extra about her newest cookbook, Really feel Good Meals. Firstly, Valli is most actually not a trendy-health meals chef. Identical to me, she pooh-poohs meals traits for the sake of it – suppose paleo, kale, chia seeds and so on.

So I knew there was a backstory to this cookbook which – in all honesty – for those who ignore the title you wouldn’t really suppose is a “wholesome” cookbook. Really, it’s not – she may be very fast to level that out. As she says in her phrases, it’s nearly being extra conscious of what you place into your physique. For Valli, it was a well being scare final yr when she was recognized with bowel most cancers. We didn’t chat about that – I forgot to ask her writer if that was off bounds – however I did learn about it.

She talked about her therapies and the scare it gave her and her household. It was the instigator for this cookbook which is nearly being extra cautious about what you cook dinner with to make it higher for you, with out working out to purchase all types of fancy, costly sugar substitutes and substances that I can’t even pronounce.

There are such a lot of recipes from her cookbook that I wished to share however I might solely choose one. I’m going to ask Valli if I can share one other one as a result of there are a number of extra that I actually, actually love.

I believe she’d be stunned to understand how lots of the recipes I’ve already made. However this pot roasted chicken is a stand out. About so far as it may be from the normal pot roasted chicken, it’s trendy, recent tasting with an Asian spin with stellar flavours and it’s clear. That’s the half I maintain forgetting – it is a clear recipe!

PS In case you are already considering that stuffing the herb combination below the pores and skin is simply too laborious, don’t! I’ve a nifty tip to make it tremendous simple – discuss with the step-by-step images within the recipe under. It would actually take you 2 minutes. And also you gained’t tear the pores and skin!! 😉

The broth is sensational, it truly is. I made this chicken 4 instances in 3 days simply earlier than I left for Mexico and I used to be consuming the broth out of a cup. The bottom is coconut milk which is lightened up with chicken broth/inventory and it has the fragile earthy perfume of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves (I’ve supplied subs for this!), freshness from lime, a contact of candy and salty. Once I first learn the recipe, I believed “the flavours gained’t be punchy sufficient for me”, however boy was I improper!

You recognize, I used to be really going to interview Valli correctly, and I’m sorry if that’s what you have been hoping for. I had an inventory of the same old questions – how she obtained began, what it’s like to jot down a cookbook, and so on and so on.

However all that went out the window once we began chatting as a result of a) I didn’t wish to stick my iPhone between us to file our dialog (speak about a temper killer!) b) to me, it was a lot extra significant to only “get to know her” and have the ability to share my expertise with you than typing out solutions to interview questions.

I solely requested her one (essential) query that I jotted down the reply to.

In the event you needed to go to abandoned island for the remainder of your life, what 3 meals would you’re taking?

Right here’s Valli’s reply:

Raspberries, oysters and french champagne

Simply in case you’re curious, right here is my reply:

Recent selfmade bread and butter*, cheese** and french champagne

* Each time I play this recreation, individuals attempt to inform me that bread and butter and a couple of separate meals gadgets. Nevertheless, I say it actually quick and it’s my recreation so I deem that they’re one meals merchandise.
** That is all of the cheeses on the planet. Each single sort.

Who desires to return reside on a abandoned island with Valli and me? It is going to be a parteeeeee!!!! 😉

Pot Roasted Coconut Chicken Recipe

Print

Serves: 5 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour 1 hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 long red chilies (Note 1)
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (or substitute with olive oil)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Black pepper
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
• 3 lb /1.6kg whole chicken , preferably organic/free range
• 2 cups / 500 ml chicken broth/stock (preferably reduced salt)
• 1 lemongrass , white part only, bruised (Note 2)
• 2 kaffir lime leaves (Note 3)
• 14 oz /400ml light coconut milk (1 can)
• 0.8 lb / 400g baby potatoes , scrubbed clean
• 1 lime
• 2 tsp coconut sugar (or substitute with brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 390F/200C.
2. Finely mince ONE red chili (~1 tbsp). Combine chili, ginger, garlic, oil, 1/2 cup cilantro/coriander, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Rinse and pat the chicken dry (inside and out) with paper towels. Starting from the neck end of the chicken, use a teaspoon upside down to loosen the skin from the meat across the surface of the chicken (i.e. not the legs or wings). Just go as far as you can.
4. Spoon the cilantro/mixture between the meat and the skin near neck. Use the spoon to spread it a bit, then to finish it off, use your finger/hands ON the skin to spread the mixture as far and evenly as you can. Doesn't need to be perfect! 🙂
5. Place the chicken stock/broth, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and the whole red chili into a dutch oven or baking tray. (Note 4)
6. Place the chicken in the broth, cover with a lid and roast for 45 minutes. Remove the lid, add the coconut milk and potatoes then roast for a further 30 minutes, or until juices run clear when pierced.
7. Remove the chicken from the broth and cover loosely with foil to rest for 5 minutes.
8. Skim excess fat off the surface of the broth - I usually get about 5 tbsp of fat off.
9. Add the juice from the lime, sugar and fish sauce. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add remaining cilantro/coriander.
10. Serve the chicken with the broth in a pouring jug, or cut up the chicken and serve it in the broth.

Notes

1. Use the long red chilies that are not too spicy, You should have around 1 tbsp of very finely mined chili. If you can't find long red chilis, you can substitute with 3/4 tbsp of chili paste into the mixture to put under the chicken skin and any whole red chili to put (whole) into the cooking broth.
2. Lemongrass: Peel the tough outer pale green layers to reveal the white part inside. Chop the reedy end off so you end up with the white and pale green parts. Use the side of your knife to bash it to break it open a bit - it helps release flavour.
3. Kaffir Lime Leaves smell like lime with an earthy tone. There is no substitute that I think comes close. They don't cost much to buy from Asian grocery stores and some green grocers and even supermarkets have them nowadays (Sydney - Harris Farms, Coles, Woolworths). And they freeze really well! Brilliant for Asian cooking - it's like the bay leaf of Asian food. Plonk it in with plain cooked rice to take it to the next level, and into any coconut based Asian soups, sauces and curries.
If you really can't find it, then grate the zest of the lime into the broth. The broth will still be lovely!
4. If your pot is not deep enough so the lid touches the chicken or you are using foil to cover the chicken, spray the top of the chicken with oil so the skin doesn't stick and break when you take the lid off (so sad when that happens).