Chopped roast chicken, aioli, red pepper and anchovy dressing

Chopped roast chicken, aioli, red pepper and anchovy dressing.
Chopped roast chicken, aioli, red pepper and anchovy dressing.
Serves: 4
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 100ml olive oil, plus a little more for drizzling
  • A 1.6kg spatchcocked chicken
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and finely sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
  • 1tsp smoked paprika
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 2tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • A drizzle of honey
  • 8 salted anchovies, finely chopped
  • For the aioli:
  • 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1tbsp Dijon mustard
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Pinch of salt and white pepper
  • 300ml sunflower oil
  • 50ml olive oil
  • 2tbsp creme fraiche

1 Set the oven to 190 degrees/gas 5.

2 Put a little olive oil on a roasting tray and set the chicken on top, skin-side up.

3 Drizzle with olive oil, season and rub well into the skin.

4 Place in the oven and roast for 50 minutes.

5 Put 100 millilitres of olive oil into a pot then add the peppers, garlic and smoked paprika.

6 Cook gently over a low heat for 20-25 minutes until the peppers start to shrivel and caramelise.

7 Add the orange juice, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, honey and anchovies, then let it bubble gently for a further 10 minutes. Season and remove from the heat and discard the rosemary.

8 To make the aioli, put the garlic, egg yolks, mustard, lemon and seasoning into a blender.

9 Whizz and slowly add the sunflower oil in a thin stream, followed by the olive oil, until it forms an emulsion.

10 When all the oil has been incorporated add the creme fraiche. Check the seasoning – it may need a little more lemon juice – and put in a bowl on the table so everyone can help themselves. The aioli can be made earlier if you like – it keeps for two weeks in the fridge.

11 When the chicken is cooked, remove to a chopping board and tip any cooking juices into the peppers. Chop the chicken into 8-10 pieces and put on a platter.

12 Warm the red pepper and anchovy dressing and spoon it over the top of the chicken and serve.

Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn is a chef, restaurateur and contributor to The Irish Times. He and his wife, Máire, run the Tannery restaurant and cookery school in Dungarvan, Co Waterford