Roast chicken with orange, cumin and apricot rice

5.00

This roast chicken recipe is something chef José Pizarro often makes at home (his favourite bit is the anchovy-flavoured crispy chicken skin). The combination of zesty orange, sweet apricots, earthy cumin and plenty of pimentón gives the bird a new lease of life. This recipe is extracted from Andalusia by José Pizarro (Hardie Grant, £26). Photography by Emma Lee.

First published in 2019

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. In a small food processor or heavy pestle and mortar, blend the garlic cloves with the olive oil and half of the anchovies to a rough paste
2
Carefully loosen the skin from the breasts of the chicken and rub the garlic and anchovy mixture underneath the skin. 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, add a little oil to a saucepan and fry the shallots with the rest of the anchovies and a pinch of salt over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cumin seeds and both types of pimentón and fry for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant. Mix in the rice, orange zest and juice and dried apricots. Add the bay leaf, rosemary and the chicken stock, bring to a 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 dish and place the chicken back on top. Reduce the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) and roast, covered, for 1 hour. At this point, check to see if the rice is cooked. If needed, add a little more stock and cook for a further 10 minutes
5
Remove the casserole dish from the oven and lift the chicken back onto the chopping board, tipping it over the dish first so that any juices run back into the rice. Leave the chicken to rest for 5–10 minutes, loosely covered with foil. 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

With a focus on simple, authentic Spanish cuisine, chef José Pizarro has been at the forefront of bringing true tapas to London.

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