Caribbean roast chicken with chips and gravy

Your favourite peri-peri chicken just got a Caribbean kick. Combining the smoky and sweet flavours of jerk with a peri-peri marinade to get those chicken juices flowing to the maximum flavour.

Ingredients

For the roast chicken

• 1.1–1.5kg/2lb 5oz–3lb 5oz whole chicken, spatchcocked
• 5 tbsp jerk seasoning (available from most supermarkets)
• 260g/9½oz peri-peri sauce
• bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 1 avocado, sliced, to serve

For the chips

• 600g/1lb 7oz Maris Piper (or other floury potatoes), peeled and cut into chips
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• salt

For the chicken gravy

• 4 tbsp chicken gravy granules
• 1 tbsp jerk seasoning, mixed with a little water to form a paste
• 1 tbsp jerk barbecue sauce (available from large supermarkets)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

2. Season the chicken with the jerk seasoning, half of the peri-peri sauce and the thyme, rubbing them all over to cover the meat completely. Place in a roasting tin and roast for 50 minutes, or until cooked through. Check the chicken is cooked through by piercing the thickest part of the leg (between the drumstick and the thigh) with a skewer – the juices should run clear with no traces of pink. Leave the chicken to rest for 10 minutes and then carve.

3. To make the chips, parboil the chips in a saucepan of salted water for 5–10 minutes, or until just soft, then drain and dry thoroughly. Preheat a deep-fat fryer to 180C. Fry the chips until cooked through and golden, then transfer to kitchen paper to drain.

4. To make the gravy, put the chicken granules, 150ml/5fl oz water, the remaining peri-peri sauce, jerk seasoning paste and jerk barbecue sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and stir constantly for 5–7 minutes until there is a gravy consistency.

5. Serve the chicken with the chips, gravy and avocado.

Caribbean roast chicken with chips and gravy