Barbecued Thai chicken

• chicken↗medium medium

  (about 1.5kg), spatchcocked

• lemongrass2 stalks

  kept whole

• black peppercorns↗1 tsp tsp
• garlic cloves↗8
• coriander stalks↗large handful large handful
• lemongrass1 stalk

  chopped

• lime↗1

  juiced

• Thai fish sauce↗3 tbsp tbsp
• brown sugar↗2 tbsp tbsp
• sugar↗1 metal skewer 1 metal skewer

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Crush the peppercorns using a pestle and mortar, then add the garlic and crush again. Add the coriander stalks and chopped lemongrass, and bash to a rough paste. Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves. Poke a metal skewer through the leg and breast on either side of the chicken (see our video on how to spatchcock a chicken), then replace with a lemongrass stalk. Sit the chicken in a dish and pour over the marinade – squelch it around so the bird is completely coated, then cover and chill in the fridge for as long as possible or overnight.

2. 2

   Remove the chicken from the fridge an hour before cooking. Set a lidded barbecue up for indirect cooking with a foil drip tray on the coal-free side. When the coals are very hot, lay the chicken, bone-side down, over the coal-free side, with the legs closest to the coals.

3. 3

   Cover with the lid and arrange the vents for maximum air circulation. Cook the chicken for 50 mins-1 hr until a thermometer reads 70C (or a little higher) when stuck into the thickest part of the thigh or the juices run clear. Poke the coals about so they flare up again, then, using a pair of tongs, carefully flip the chicken, so it’s skin-side down over the coals. Cook until the skin has browned and the thermometer reads 75C. Lift onto a board, leave to rest for 10 mins, then remove the lemongrass and carve.