½-1 red chilli, to taste, deseeded and finely chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Large handful fresh coriander, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
Whole chicken, about 1.6 kg (3½lb)
1Tbsp.
vegetable oil
4
shallots, finely sliced
500ml
(17fl oz) chicken stock
600g
(1lb 5oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
1tsp.
cornflour
165ml
tin coconut milk
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, garlic, chilli, lime zest, coriander and plenty of seasoning. Lift up the neck flap of the chicken and use your fingers to ease the skin gently away from the breast meat - work all the way down the sides of the breasts and towards the legs. Push most of the butter mixture between the skin and the meat to cover the whole breast area. Spread remaining butter over the outer skin of the chicken. Set aside.
Step 2
Heat the vegetable oil in a large flameproof casserole dish (with a lid) over a medium heat and fry the shallots until soft, about 5min. Remove from the heat, and put the chicken in the dish. Pour in the stock, then season and cover with a lid. Transfer to the oven for 45min.
Step 3
Carefully remove the dish from the oven and take off the lid. Add the sweet potatoes to the dish (try to get them into the liquid) and roast uncovered for a further 45min, turning the potatoes halfway through (to stop them discolouring). Check the chicken is cooked through.
Step 4
Transfer the chicken to a board and cover well with foil. Leave to rest until ready to serve. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sweet potatoes into a warmed serving bowl and cover.
Step 5
To make the speedy gravy, spoon 1tbsp of the pan liquid into a small bowl and mix in the cornflour. Put the casserole dish over medium hob heat and stir in the cornflour mixture and coconut milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5min, stirring constantly, until thickened. Check seasoning (adding some lime juice to sharpen). Serve the chicken with the sweet potatoes and coconut gravy - all garnished with coriander.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
