Spatchcock Chicken with Miso and Sesame Seeds

Directions

1Mix the vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, miso, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger and garlic in a small bowl. 


2Put the spatchcocked chicken (see instructions below) into a large freezer bag, pour in the contents of the bowl and then carefully seal the bag. Turn the bag over a couple of times, (squidging it as you do so, as per Nigella!), to make sure the chicken is covered with the marinade. Place the bag in a dish and sit it in the fridge to marinate overnight. 


3An hour or so before you want to roast the chicken, take the bag out of the fridge and tip it out, marinade and all, into a shallow roasting tin, sitting the chicken breast-side up. Leave to come to room temperature. 


4Preheat the oven to 400° F. Cover the chicken with foil before putting in the oven for 45 minutes. 


5Take the chicken out of the oven and remove the foil. Baste with some of the pan juices then drizzle the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil over the chicken and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Put back in the oven, uncovered, for another 20 minutes, by which time the skin should be burnished, the chicken cooked through and the juices caramelized. 
Cut into quarters, or completely joint the chicken if you want it to serve more than 4, and pour the dark golden pan juices over the top.

How to spatchcock a chicken

1Gather your supplies. You will need a sharp knife, kitchen shears, and a cutting board.

2Place the chicken on the cutting board breast-side up.

3Using the sharp knife, make a cut along the backbone of the chicken, starting at the neck and working your way down to the tail.

4Use the kitchen shears to cut through the backbone, being careful not to cut through the skin.

5Spread the chicken open like a book.

6Use your fingers to press down on the breastbone to flatten the chicken.