Five-Spice Roast Chicken

Good Pair Days (Roos Michels) -
  • Thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
  • 1 chicken, approx 2kg
  • 2 bunches of spring onions
  • 1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • Stir-fried greens, to serve
  • Place most of your sliced ginger in a large roasting tin, and sit the whole chicken on top. Stuff the cavity with the remaining ginger, the green half of the spring onions, half the garlic, and half a lemon. Mix together the 5-spice, tsp oil and seasoning, and rub all over the bird. Nestle the other half of the garlic head next to the chicken, drizzle everything with a tsp of oil, and roast for 1 hour at 190C. Toss in the whites of the spring onion, then roast for another 30 mins. Leave to rest for 30 mins.
  • Make a gravy by spooning away the excess fat from the pan, then putting the pan on a medium heat to simmer. Add 1 tsp sugar, the hoisin and soy sauce, the juice of half a lemon, and any resting juices. Simmer for a minute or two to thicken, then season. Serve the chicken, carved to your liking, with stir-fried greens and a good drizzle of gravy.
1 hr 40 mins
4 serving