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Roast chicken with orange, cumin and apricot rice


Serves: 6
timePrep time: 20 mins
timeTotal time:
Roast chicken with orange, cumin and apricot rice
Recipe photograph by Emma Lee

Roast chicken with orange, cumin and apricot rice

This classic one-pot nods to the love of spices and dried fruit that the Moors introduced to Andalusia. Every part of the dish is comforting and delicious, but the truly heavenly bit is the combination of crispy chicken skin and anchovy

Serves: 6
timePrep time: 20 mins
timeTotal time:

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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
648Kcal
Fat
16gr
Saturates
3gr
Carbs
68gr
Sugars
2gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
56gr
Salt
1gr

José Pizarro

José Pizarro

Originally from Extremadura, western Spain, José Pizarro is an award-winning chef and bestselling author of five cookbooks. He runs a tapas bar and restaurants in London and Surrey, and recently opened two new restaurants at The Royal Academy of Arts
See more of José Pizarro’s recipes
José Pizarro

José Pizarro

Originally from Extremadura, western Spain, José Pizarro is an award-winning chef and bestselling author of five cookbooks. He runs a tapas bar and restaurants in London and Surrey, and recently opened two new restaurants at The Royal Academy of Arts
See more of José Pizarro’s recipes

Ingredients

  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
  • 6 salted anchovies in olive oil
  • 1 large free-range chicken (about 1.8kg), bindings removed
  • 2 echalion shallots, finely sliced
  • ½ tbsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp hot smoked paprika or hot paprika
  • 500g paella rice, soaked for 10 minutes in cold water and drained
  • zest and juice of ½ orange
  • 100g dried apricots, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 rosemary sprigs
  • 1 litre chicken stock (use gluten-free if required)
  • small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Step by step

Get ahead
Prep the chicken with the garlic and anchovy mixture the day before.
  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. In a pestle and mortar, blend the garlic cloves to a rough paste with 2 tbsp of olive oil and half the anchovies.
  2. Carefully loosen the skin from the breasts of the chicken and rub the garlic and anchovy mixture underneath the skin. Drizzle the chicken with 1 tablespoon of removed olive oil and season well with salt. Place the chicken in a deep, lidded casserole dish and roast, uncovered, for 35 minutes, until the skin is golden,
  3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, fry the shallots in a little more oil over a medium heat with the rest of the anchovies, plus a pinch of salt, for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cumin seeds and both types of smoked paprika and fry for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Mix in the drained paella rice, orange zest and juice and dried apricots. Add the bay leaf, rosemary and the chicken stock, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and set aside.
  4. Remove the casserole dish from the oven, carefully lift out the chicken and place on a chopping board. Add the rice and stock mixture to the casserole dish and place the chicken back on top. Turn the oven down to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4 and roast, covered, for 50 minutes.
  5. After this time, check to see if the rice is cooked. If needed, add a little more stock and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and lift the chicken back onto a clean chopping board, tipping it over the casserole dish first so that any juices run back into the rice.
  6. Leave the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes, loosely covered with foil. Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprigs from the casserole dish. Taste the rice, season and stir through the parsley. Place the lid back on the dish to keep warm as you carve the chicken. Dish up onto warm plates with the rice.

    Recipe adapted from Andalusia: Recipes From Seville And Beyond by José Pizarro (Hardie Grant, £25)

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