2025 Dec 25
Warm spices, a golden roast and flavours that feel like home, this Sri Lankan-style Christmas Roast Chicken is a dish that belongs right at the centre of your Christmas spread. Try it out with Aunty D!
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
Salt as needed
Pepper as needed
3-4 tbsp coconut oil
3-4 dry red chillies
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
A handful of curry leaves
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/4 cup small garlic cloves
1 big peeled ginger
1 lime (juice)
4 tbsp butter
Onion, carrot and potatoes to stuff and decorate
Method
- Prepare the chicken by seasoning with salt and pepper and separating the skin from the flesh.
- Refrigerate for 2- 3 hours.
- Make the marination by frying chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaves, star anise, curry leaves and onion.
- Then to that mixture add garlic, ginger, salt, lime juice and butter and grind it to a paste.
- Spread the marinade all over the chicken.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 4-5 hours.
- Bake at 120°c for 1 – 2 hours without any colouring.
- And then bake at 230°c for 20-30 mins until golden.
If the bones come back clean and the gravy’s wiped out, you’ve officially nailed it.
