Mango Relish and Yoghurt Roasted Chicken with Black Bean Salad, Avocado and Soft Tortillas

. December, 2015
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Mango Relish and Yoghurt Roasted Chicken with Black Bean Salad, Avocado and Soft Tortillas

To prevent the delicious yoghurt crust catching and burning, I cover the chicken after the initial burst of heat then remove it for the final 10 minutes to ensure succulent meat and a lovely golden skin. 

INGREDIENTS

1 corn-fed free range Rangitikei chicken 
¼ cup mango relish
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons plain yoghurt 
sea salt and ground pepper

To serve
Black Bean Salad, recipe below
Pickled Onions, recipe below
2 avocados, sliced
lime wedges
½ cup thick plain yoghurt mixed with finely grated zest of 1 lime
10 soft flour tortillas, warm 


Black Bean Salad
¾ cup black quinoa
1 x 400 gram tin black beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup frozen sweetcorn kernels, thawed
1 roasted red capsicum, thinly sliced
½ cup diced cucumber
¼ cup chopped coriander, including some of the tender stalk
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Dressing
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 clove garlic, crushed
sea salt and ground pepper


Pickled onions
1 red onion, peeled and halved
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. 

Chicken: Put all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a food processor and blend until smooth. 

Spread a little inside the cavity of the chicken then smear the rest all over the skin. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting dish lined with baking paper and pour a ½ cup of water into the base but not over the chicken. Roast for 10 minutes then loosely cover with a piece of baking paper then with foil. Roast for 60 minutes then uncover and bake for a further 8-10 minutes until golden and fully cooked. Rest the chicken for 15 minutes.

To assemble: Joint the warm chicken and pull the meat into bite-sized pieces. Fill each tortilla with a pile of chicken, yoghurt sauce, black bean salad, avocado and some pickled onions. Wrap and eat. Makes 10


Black Bean Salad

Dressing: Whisk everything together in a large bowl and season well. 

Salad: Cook the quinoa in plenty of water for 10 minutes. Drain then rinse under cold water and drain well again. Add all of the salad ingredients to the dressing and toss well to combine.


Pickled onions: Slice the onion very thinly (a mandoline is perfect for this) and place in a heatproof glass or ceramic bowl.

Pour over enough boiling water to cover and leave for 30 seconds. Drain well and return to the bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt and cumin seeds and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, turning occasionally. Drain off the liquid and place in a serving bowl.