Alternative chicken roasts

"Nothing beats cooking up a delicious Sunday roast with all the trimmings for your family and friends, however this can be a really time consuming process. I absolutely love roast chicken – it’s easy to cook and is perfect for experimenting with flavours and marinades! Make the most of your bird with these fab alternative roast chicken recipes, great for mid-week suppers or a chilled weekend roast with friends.

My roast sesame soy honey chicken uses a wonderful sweet and spicy marinade to flavour the chicken which works so well with the honey and sesame glaze. Try to leave the tandoori marinade for as long as possible, to really let the Indian flavours infuse into the bird. This roast Thai green curry chicken is gorgeous for a mid-week supper. Enjoy!"

Roast sesame soy honey chicken

Serves 4-5

1 chicken, approximately 1.8kg

1 clove of garlic, finely sliced

2 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin

4 tbsp of honey

1 red chilli, finely chopped

2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped

2 ½ tbsp of sesame seeds

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6. Place a large piece of foil in a roasting tin. Remove the chicken from the packaging, clean if necessary, then place onto the foil. Fold up the sides of the foil and tuck in towards the chicken to make a tray to hold the cooking juices so they don’t burn.

Make 10 slits in the chicken on the breasts and the legs. Insert a slither of garlic into each slit, season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little oil. Then place the chicken in the oven for one hour. Just before an hour is up mix together the soy, mirin, honey, chilli, ginger and sesame seeds. Once ready remove the chicken from the oven and slather with the honey and sesame mixture, and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and slowly spoon over the cooking juices and basting liquid that will have gathered in the foil tray. Return to the oven for a further 20-25 minutes, carefully removing and re-basting the chicken every 10 minutes to keep it juicy. Take care not to knock off the sesame seeds as you baste.

Once the chicken has had its full cooking time, remove from the oven and insert a knife into the thickest part of the thigh meat and press down. Any juices which run out should be clear and not pink at all. If cooked, place some tin foil over the chicken and leave to rest for 15 minutes or so. This will even out the temperature and make the bird much more succulent and juicy.

Tip the basting juices into a small saucepan while the chicken is resting and spoon off any fat that rises to the surface. Warm the juices through in a saucepan over a low heat.

Carve the chicken and serve each portion with a little of the honey gravy. The chicken is delicious served with either roast potatoes, rice or stir fried vegetables.