Thai roast chicken with rice and Asian greens

Tamara West

This is an exotic-flavoured Thai roasted chicken, from which you can save the bones, carcass and any leftover meat for a comforting bowl of noodle soup the next day.

Thai roast chicken

1 cup	Coriander, roughly chopped, including stalks and cleaned roots
2	Kaffir lime leaves, tough central stem removed
2 stalks	Lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed, roughly chopped
1	Shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
3	Garlic cloves, peeled
2 cm	Ginger, peeled
2 Tbsp	Fish sauce
1	Red chilli, optional
1 Tbsp	Brown sugar, or palm sugar
1	Free-range organic chicken (Main)
1	Red onion, cut into wedges

Rice

2 cups	Rice
2 cups	Water
1 cup	Coconut milk

Asian greens

2 bunches	Choy sum, or baby bok choy, halved lengthways
2	Spring onions, finely sliced
1	Garlic clove, minced
2 tsp	Sesame oil
1 Tbsp	Kecap manis

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients for paste with a large mortar and pestle or food processor. Grind or blitz until it forms a paste. Rub all over the chicken, including the cavity and under the skin. If possible, leave to marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge.
2. Preheat oven to 190C. Arrange onion wedges in an oven dish, then place chicken on top. Roast until golden brown and cooked through, 45-50 minutes. Baste occasionally with juices during this time.
3. While chicken is roasting, combine rice, water, coconut milk and a pinch of salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam for another 8 minutes. Do not remove lid at any time during cooking.
4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Add choy sum or bok choy and stir-fry until bright green and just cooked through. Add spring onions, garlic, kecap manis and sesame oil and toss a couple of times to combine.
5. To serve, carve the chicken reserving the carcass and bones (for a stock to make soup). Reserve any leftover chicken and pick off any meat from the carcass.