Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg whole chicken
- 120 ml peanut oil
- 15 ml Chinese five-spice powder
- 5 ml salt
- 3 ml white pepper
- zest of 1 orange, remaining orange reserved for later use
Stuffing
- 2 spring onions, cut into 2cm pieces and bruised
- 3 whole star anise
- 1 green chilli, split in half
- 2 cm piece of ginger, sliced
- 1 orange, cut into pieces
- Basting sauce
- 60 ml honey
- 60 ml soy sauce
Chinese salsa verde
- 30 ml freshly grated ginger
- 10-15 ml chilli oil
- 30 ml soy sauce
- 30 ml rice vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 15 ml peanut oil
- red chillies, seeded and finely-chopped
- spring onions, finely- chopped
- 1 large orange, zested and juiced
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
- Pat the chicken dry, inside and out, with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut oil, five-spice powder, salt and pepper. Stir the zest into the spices.
- Rub the chicken inside and out with the spice mixture.
- For the stuffing - Stuff the cavity with the spring onion, star anise, chilli, ginger and orange. Roast the chicken for 1 hour.
- For basting - Combine the honey and soy sauce. After the chicken has cooked for 1 hour, baste the chicken generously every 10 minutes until it is cooked through and an internal thermometer reads 70-72C, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving.
- Carve the chicken and serve with the Chinese salsa verde.
- Salsa - While the chicken rests, whisk together the ginger, chilli oil, soy sauce, vinegar, peanut oil, chillies, spring onion and orange juice and zest until well combined.
- Serve with the chicken.