AFRICAN CHICKEN

Everybody loves chicken！This particular recipe，with its use of spices and coconut serves to exemplify 600 years of Macau’s history in every mouthful and would give the KFC’s colonel a run for his money

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 baby chickens，about 450g each

200ml coconut milk

50g desiccated coconut

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

200g unsalted butter

For the marinade

100g garlic，finely chopped

100g shallot，finely chopped

50g red chillies，finely diced

20g sugar

5g smoked paprika

2g salt

10 cloves，crushed

pinch of crushed toasted Sichuan peppercorns

pinch of black pepper

500ml Portuguese red pepper sauce

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1.First，the chickens need to be spatchcocked，which will enable them to cook quickly and evenly Lay each bird breast-side down on your work surface and，using a pair of kitchen scissors，cut from either side of the parsons nose down the back to remove the spine.Turn over and press down on the breastbone to flatten out the chicken

2.Once both chickens are spatchcocked，cut them in half lengthways USing a sharp pointed knife，make several incisions at regular intervals in the chickens’thighs and breast for the marinade to penetrate Place in a non-reactive dish

4.For the marinade，mix all the ingredients together

5.Cover the chicken pieces with the marinade，cover the dish with clingfilm and leave to marinate n the refrigerator for 12-24 hours

6.When ready to cook preheat the oven to 180 C，Gas mark 4

7.Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer the marinade to a bowl

8.Mix the coconut milk and desiccated coconut together with the marinade to form a mixture with a texture similar to wet sand

9.Heat the vegetable oil in a large ovenproof saute pan add the chicken pieces and sear on all sides before covering with the coconut mixture

10.Transfer to the oven and cook for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 60C

11.Remove from the oven and leave the chicken pieces to rest

12.Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat until it turns nut brown in colour，then pour over the chicken and serve.cut into thick slices

CHEFS TIP

Take care not to burn the butter，otherwise it will become bitter tasting

hancheng

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