Slow-Cooked Middle Eastern Chicken
Give your chicken dinner a flavour to savour with this tangy Middle-Eastern-inspired marinade. Leaving the chicken to absorb the marinade overnight will result in the tastiest results but even marinating it for a couple of hours will work well. Because it is cooked slowly, the chicken will easily shred from the bone using a fork when it is ready. Enjoy it in pita bread and drizzle with a simple sauce of Greek yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice if desired.
How long will it take?
3 hours plus marinating time
What’s the serving size?
Serves 4
What do I need?
- 1.5 – 2 kg whole chicken
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cardamom pods
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 2 tsp ground allspice
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp mild chilli powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 3 ½ tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
How do I make it?
- Add peppercorns, cardamom pods and cloves to a food processor or mortar and pestle. Grind and then add in remaining spices, lemon juice and olive oil.
- Rub marinade mixture over the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat oven to 160C.
- Place chicken in a baking dish and cover with aluminium foil. Cook for 2 ¼ hours, then remove foil and cook uncovered for a further 15 minutes.
- To serve, shred the chicken and serve with coleslaw, pickled and fresh vegetables, and pita
