Berbere Roast Chicken

Berbere is an Ethiopian curry spice mix I discovered some years ago... its not one that many people have heard of in the UK and I actually haven't seen it in many shops, which surprises me as its just fantastic.

I use the spice mix for a few recipes - one was for the Chicken Doro Wat (recipe here) which is an Ethiopian curry - my favourite curry in fact. Another recipe was for the Spiced Chicken Meatballs (recipe here) of which is a lovely change, as tastes just so different to anything else.

Then I have this recipe - which is the Berbere Spiced Roast Chicken. I have also included the recipe for the actual Berbere spice mix as it has been asked for by quite a few people now!  Once made, this spice mix can be stored in a sealed tub for months in a dry place.

Ingredients:     (Makes 1/2 cup)

2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 tsp. black peppercorns
4 green cardamom pods (seeds only)
4 cloves
4 dried red chillies, broken into bits
3 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground all spice
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. turmeric

Method:
With a dry hot frying pan, toast the seeds - down to and including the cloves and chillies. Shake the pan and ensure it doesn't burn. Tip into a bowl to cool a little. Now using either a hand mixer or a pestle and mortar, blend (or crush) until ground. Add the rest of the spices and stir together. You have your spice mix!

To make the Roast Berbere Chicken, simply mix 2-3 tbsp. of the spice mix with 30g butter. With your fingers, gently lift the chicken skin away from the breast and put 2/3 of the butter mix under the skin. Spread the remaining butter mix over all of the chicken and put into a roasting tin. Cover with kitchen foil and roast for - (25 minutes per kg + 25 minutes) or (20 minutes per lb + 20  minutes).

The flavour of the spices are so, delicious with the chicken. Serve simply with salad and chips.