With autumn in full swing, bring comfort to the everyday with hearty recipes that make the most of warming spices
recipes GOOD FOOD TEAM photographs LIAM DESBOIS
Black pepper chicken & lemon yogurt
We tend to think of pepper as seasoning rather than a spice, but this recipe proves just how much heat and flavour it can bring to a dish when you make it the star of the show. Here, we’ve spatchcocked the chicken for quick cooking and to give the marinade maximum coverage, but it can also be used on a standard whole chicken or budget-friendly chicken pieces.
SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins plus 1 hr marinating COOK 45 mins EASY
1 tbsp black peppercorns
5 garlic cloves, grated, plus
1 whole garlic bulb
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 lemons, 1 juiced, plus extra
wedges to serve
1.5g whole chicken, spatchcocked
(see tip, right)
1 tbsp olive oil
400g Greek yogurt
small bunch of coriander, roughly
chopped (optional)
peppered rice, to serve (see right)
1 Crush the peppercorns using a pestle and mortar. Add the grated garlic and 1/2 tsp salt, and mash to a thick paste. Stir in the turmeric and lemon juice, then set aside.
2 Sit the chicken in a dish, skin-side up, and evenly slash the skin all over. Rub the marinade all over the chicken so it’s completely coated, then cover and chill for at least 1 hr, or ideally overnight.
3 Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Transfer the chicken to a shallow roasting tray, skin-side up, and sit the garlic bulb alongside it. Drizzle the oil mostly over the chicken and a little over the garlic. Roast for 30 mins, then remove the garlic bulb from the tray and set aside. Continue to roast the chicken for 10-15 mins more, or until crisp-skinned and cooked all the way through. If you have a cooking thermometer, it should read at least 65C when inserted into the breast, and 70C in the thigh. Leave the chicken to rest, uncovered, for 10-15 mins in the tray.
4 Meanwhile, peel and squeeze the garlic from the roasted bulb into a bowl, then mix in the yogurt. When the chicken has rested, lift it onto a board and stir all the resting pan juices into the yogurt. Taste the yogurt for seasoning, adding a bit more lemon juice if needed. Slice the chicken into pieces and serve scattered with coriander, if using, alongside the yogurt sauce, peppered yellow rice (see recipe, right) and lemon wedges on the side, if you like.
GOOD TO KNOW gluten free PER SERVING 486 kcals • fat 35g • saturates 13g • carbs 7g • sugars 5g • fibre 1g • protein 34g • salt 1.1g
Peppered yellow rice
SERVES 4-6 PREP 10 mins COOK 30 mins EASY V
Melt 25g butter in a large pan over a medium heat and cook 1 finely chopped onion with a large pinch of salt for 10 min
