STICKY & SWEET ASIAN ROAST CHICKEN AND GRAVY

I love Asian flavors, I've mention  this in previous posts but the last meal my mum had before she went into labour with me was a chicken chow mien. I must of loved it even as a little Matty inside her belly as I flew out looking for more shortly after. It's possibly why I love chicken so much too. So when I thought about adding Asian flavors to my Sunday roast chicken I came up this fantastic marinade and decided to give it a go.Well I was in heaven come dinner time. If I could of inhaled the whole thing in one go I would of!

The chicken was so wonderfully sweet and moist, it literally fell off the bone and melted in my mouth and the skin was so crispy and sticky thanks to the honey in the marinade. Boy oh boy it was incredible.

Those scrummy chicken juices are too good to throw away too. So make sure you scoop them all up and make a delicious chicken stock that will produce a gravy that will blow you and your fellow diners away.

Prepare the chicken the night before and let all the marinade flavors soak into your bird for maximum effect although I'm sure if you are a busy bee and do it on the day you'll still really enjoy the Asian taste sensation that you remove from you oven. Why not try it this weekend and really spoil your friends and family this Sunday.

Asian Style Roast Chicken And Gravy

4 Tbsp Runny Honey

4 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Grated Garlic Cloves

Thumb Sized Piece Of Grated Ginger

4 Medium White Onions

150g Mushrooms

Your Roast Chicken Of Choice

Salt and Pepper to Season

Plain Flour (If Needed)

1. Mix together in a bowl the honey, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic and ginger and leave to one side.
2. Peel your onions and chop them and your mushrooms in half and use them to line a roasting tin.
3. Take your roast chicken and season the skin with salt and pepper and then place the chicken on top of the onions and mushrooms in your roasting tray.
4. Take the chicken skin above the cavity and use a pair of scissors to cut any membrane of the skin away from breast so that youhave a little pocket like in the picture to the right. 
5. Take half of the marinade and pour into the pocket and rub the marinade straight into the chicken flesh through the skin. Pour the rest of the marinade over the chicken skin and rub into all parts of the skin. Remember to wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly after doing this. Hygiene first kids!
6. At this point you can wrap in film and place in the fridge ready for roasting if preparing the night before. If you do this then take the chicken out of the fridge one hour prior to roasting and baste the chicken with the marinade that will of drained into the roasting tin.
7. Place the chicken in the oven and roast as per the instructions and weight of your bird. 
8.  Once roasted, remove from the oven, lift up the chicken and place a wire rack under it and over the roasting tray and allow the chicken to rest and drain it's juices into the tray with the roasted onions and mushrooms. Once all the juices have drained place the chicken on a plate and cover with with foil to keep warm.
9. You will be left with a tray love of tasty yummy chicken, honey  and soy juices as in the picture to the right. Use a blender to pulse all the juice, onions and mushrooms into a thick liquid. This is a beautiful chicken stock that you can place in a bag to cool and then freeze for a later date.
10. If you want to make gravy with these yummy juices, take around 200ml of the stock and push through a sieve so that it becomes silky smooth. Place in a saucepan on a medium heat with 100ml of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for around 10 minutes. 
11. After the ten minutes remove from the heat and either add some more water or flour to thin/thicken the gravy to suit your taste if needed.

 

 

 

 

Serve with my Asian style one shot roast veg and you have the ultimate Sunday roast with a magical Oriental twist. Because of the sweet honey involved I would recommend using parsnips and carrots as your veg as they work very well together. Make sure your fellow diners have a sweet tooth though with all that honey floating around.

An amazing roast dinner straight from the Far East.

Fusion food can annoy me sometimes but this is a perfect example of how it can be absolutely spot on when done right.

 

It's sticky, it's sweet, it's the shizz!