Mexican-inspired roast piripiri chook with crunchy guacamole

Lots of chunky guacamole made from abundant locally grown avocados make this dish a delicious alternative to the traditional roast chicken and a family favourite.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
Piripiri Marinade

zest and juice of 3 limes
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp sea salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Roast Chook
1 large fresh chicken
1 onion, cut in half, skin on
1 whole head garlic

Guacamole
2 long red chillies, deseeded
2 avocados
3 cloves garlic, crushed
few sprigs of coriander, finely chopped
few sprigs of mint, finely chopped
1 small Lebanese cucumber, finely diced
juice of 1–2 lemons or 3–4 limes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve
few sprigs of thyme
few sprigs of mint

METHOD

To make the piripiri marinade, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Lay the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up, and add the onion and garlic to the pan. Smother the chicken with the piripiri marinade, cover the pan with cling film and pop it into the fridge to marinate for a few hours or overnight. When you’re ready to roast the chicken, remove the pan from the fridge and preheat your oven to 180°C.

Remove the cling film, pop the bird in the oven and roast for approximately 1 hour. If the top starts getting too brown, cover the breasts with foil. To test whether the bird is cooked, pull away one of the thighs and poke a knife into the very middle of the thigh – if the juices run clear, then it is cooked. When done, remove the chicken from the oven and set it aside, covered, to rest for 10 minutes.

To make the guacamole, finely chop one of the chillies and finely slice the other. Scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl, and roughly mash it with a fork. Add the finely chopped chilli and the garlic, coriander, mint, cucumber and enough lemon or lime juice to get the consistency and taste you like. I like mine a little chunky, very lemony and not too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the sliced chilli over the top.

Decorate the chicken with thyme and mint. Serve with the guacamole and a green salad, and some kumara wedges if you wish.

Extracted from Wild Delicious, by Amber Rose, published by Random House,