Heaps of shallots, lentils and rice cook along with a whole chicken for a Middle Eastern mujadara-inspired one-pot meal that defies everything I thought I knew about roasting a chicken. Somehow, despite the fact that you will roast a whole chicken in a pot with the lid on, what emerges is a deeply burnished, perfectly cooked bird. The moisture from the rice and lentils in the pot yields the most evenly cooked, juicy chicken meat I’ve ever had in a whole-bird format.
Serves 6
chicken 1 whole, 2-2.25kg
plain full-fat yoghurt (not Greek) 500g, plus more for serving
extra-virgin olive oil 6 tbsp, plus more for drizzling
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
ground cinnamon 1 tbsp
ground cumin 1 tbsp
ground turmeric 1 tbsp
shallots 6 large, peeled
brown onions 2 medium, peeled
lemons 3
long-grain white rice 185g, such as jasmine or basmati
dried brown or black lentils 200g (not quick-cooking)
First, marinate the bird. “Collar” a large zip-top bag by folding the top few centimetres of the bag down over itself. Doing so will help the bag stand more easily on its own and will make the process of marinating much neater. Place the chicken inside the bag.
In a large bowl, combine the yoghurt with a few big glugs of the olive oil (about 3 tablespoons), 2 tablespoons of salt, the ground cinnamon, cumin and turmeric, and 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper. Scrape the mixture into the bag with the chicken. Seal the bag and squish the marinade around to distribute, working some of it into the chicken cavity as well. Transfer to the refrigerator and marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
While the bird marinates, thinly slice the shallots and onions crosswise into ½cm-thick rings.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 220C fan/gas mark 9. In a large cast iron casserole pot with a lid, place the shallot and onion slices. Drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it directly on top of the shallots and onions. No need to scrape the marinade off the chicken; it should still be coated. Reserve the bag of remaining marinade.
Cut 1 of the lemons in half and stuff it into the cavity of the chicken. Drizzle the top of the chicken with some extra olive oil, cover the pot with the lid, and transfer to the oven. Roast for 35 minutes.
Add 700ml water to a large measuring cup or bowl. Pour and scrape the marinade from the bag into the measuring cup with the water. Add 1½ teaspoons of salt and stir to combine.
In a sieve, combine the rice and lentils and rinse.
Remove the pot from the oven. With a large wooden spoon, move the chicken to one side and pour the rice and lentils into the pot, along with the water-marinade mixture. Stir the rice and lentils around the bird to distribute evenly. Cover the pot and return it to the oven.
Braise until the rice and lentils are tender and the chicken is burnished in some spots, 45-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest (still covered) for 10 minutes.
Cut the remaining 2 lemons in half. Transfer the chicken to a carving board and carve it up. Season the lentils to taste and serve with more yoghurt and the lemon halves for squeezing.
From More is More by Molly Baz (Murdoch, £26). To order a copy for £22.88 go to guardianbookshop.com
