Pickle Brine Roast Chicken With Spring Onion Potato Salad

Start by spatchcocking the chicken. Use a strong pair of kitchen scissors to cut along either side of the spine, from the neck to the tail, and remove. Now flip the chicken over and press down on the breast to flatten.

Set a sieve over a large bowl and pour in the jar of pickles. Add your spatchcocked chicken to the brine, topping up with 500ml of water and 10g of salt. Cover and chill for 8-24 hours. Put the pickles back in the jar for later. Go to work, have a nap, go workout, whatever.

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Pull the chicken out of the brine and pat dry with kitchen paper. Toast off the fennel and coriander seeds in a dry pan and coarsely grind with a pestle and mortar, a spice grinder or with a small pan. Combine with the paprika 2 and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Rub all over the chicken. Halve the garlic bulb and trim the ends of the spring onions.

Lay the spring onions and garlic into a roasting pan and lay the chicken on top, breast side up. Slide into the oven and roast for 40-45 mins, or until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside to rest for 30 mins.

Add the potatoes to a saucepan and cover with cold water. Generously season with salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 15-20 mins until tender. Drain and leave to cool.

Scoop the onions and garlic out of the tray. Finely chop half of the spring onions, the red onion and half the pickles and stir through the potatoes. Finely slice the hispi cabbage and chuck in the bowl too. Fold through the chopped dill, sour cream, and the zest and juice of your lemon. Season with salt and pepper and chuck in any extra pickle juice from the jar.

Serve the chicken to share with the potato sally, remaining pickles and the spring onions and garlic on the side, with extra lemon wedges for squeezin’.