Name: Chicken with lemons, sumac & spiced yogurt
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 large free-range chicken (about 1.5kg/3lb 5oz in size); 3 lemons cut into eights; handful black, pitted olives; 3 small shallots peeled and left whole; 6 garlic cloves peeled and squashed; 2 tbsp sumac (see Know-how, below); 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp each ground coriander and cumin; ½ tsp each ground turmeric and mustard seeds; ½ tsp chilli powder mild or hot, depending on taste; 500g pot natural yogurt; 1 long red chilli thinly sliced; bunch spring onions sliced

Chicken with lemons, sumac & spiced yogurt

1 large free-range chicken
(about 1.5kg/3lb 5oz in size)
3 lemons
cut into eights
handful black, pitted olives
3 small shallots
peeled and left whole
6 garlic cloves
peeled and squashed
2 tbsp sumac
(see Know-how, below)
1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the spiced yoghurt

1 tsp each ground coriander
and cumin
½ tsp each ground turmeric
and mustard seeds
½ tsp chilli powder
mild or hot, depending on taste
500g pot natural yogurt
1 long red chilli
thinly sliced
bunch spring onions
sliced

Method

step 1
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Two things happen to the chicken. First, season the inside. In a bowl mix the lemons, olives, shallots and garlic with half the sumac and some salt. Scrunch them all together and add 1 tbsp of water. Open the bird up and pour the mix into the cavity.
step 2
Then the outside. Take the oil and the rest of the sumac and rub onto the chicken, massaging it into every part possible. Roast for 11⁄2 hrs or until cooked through and the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the leg.
step 3
While the chicken is cooking, mix all the ingredients for the spiced yogurt with some salt – if you like it a little milder, deseed the chilli before slicing it. Carve the chicken and serve topped with a dollop of the yogurt.