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Delicious and moist, this Indian spiced chicken will become a ‘hot’ favorite. If possible, marinate your chicken overnight or for at least a couple of hours covered in the fridge.

• All in one easy, spicy chicken
• Serves 4

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs in weight
4 or 5 medium size potatoes, cut into 4
3 tbs of medium curry paste
2 tsps of ground coriander
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsps black onion seeds (nigella seeds)
2 tsps mustard seeds
5 tbs of groundnut or vegetable oil
1 tbs of ground turmeric (cheats version of saffron,) or 3 or 4 saffron strands
2 tbs of mango chutney
1 lemon or orange
2 red onions peeled and quartered

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F/165 degrees C or Gas Mark 3.

Place a pierced orange or lemon inside the cavity. Mix together all of the marinade ingredients, excluding the saffron or turmeric.

Now make some deep incisions into the chicken, slashing on either side of the breast bone and on each of the legs. This will allow the marinade to penetrate the flesh.

Rub the marinade into the chicken, all over the breast and legs. Place any  remaining marinade inside the chicken.

Peel and cut  the potatoes into four. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Add the turmeric or saffron to the water, and boil the potatoes for about 8 minutes, until they are just tender on the outside. They should have taken on a lovely yellow colour. Drain thoroughly.

Put a few of the potatoes into a large roasting tray and place the chicken on top of them. Scatter the remaining potatoes around the chicken. Now place the quartered onions around the chicken and potatoes.

Roast in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning the potatoes and onions occasionally to avoid burning, and baste them with the chicken juices. The potatoes under the chicken will be fine as the chicken juices will stop them from burning.

Remove the dish from the oven and test the chicken by inserting  the tip of a sharp knife into the meaty part of the leg and the breast just above the leg. The juices should run clear. If not, put back into the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Just before serving, gently heat the mango chutney either in the microwave or in the oven. When the chicken is carved, pour the mango chutney over the chicken, and serve with the lovely yellow potatoes and onion quarters.

Serve with a vegetable of your choice, but this is delicious with blanched green beans tossed with slivers of almonds. Use any remaining chicken with rice and salad for a quick lunch the next day.