Roast Chicken Basted in Olive Oil and Garam Masala No.2

This recipe is for everyone in Joburg who's lined up at the supermarket -in a queue- on a Sunday afternoon for THAT rotisserie chicken. While we were in Chilean Patagonia we searched for a rotisserie chicken everywhere - there was one shop- we asked the lady at the coffee shop down the road if she thought it was a good idea to give it a try and she politely told us we'd be better off cooking some chicken ourselves. Life lessons from a wise woman. 

Since my first version of this recipe I've adjusted my daily habits and switched out olive oil for butter. Its your choice- I've left both measurements in the recipe. 

You will need,

1 whole chicken, spatchcocked 

Season with sea salt 

Method

Prepare an oven tray with baking paper put the chicken into the tray & roast the chicken at 220C for 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 180C and roast for a further 20 minutes until the chicken is succulent and cooked through. 

Keep the juices in the pan- we are going to use it.

This is how I start a roast chicken almost everytime- adding my flavour elements half way through the cooking process or once it has been cooked depending on what flavours I am going for- for the hot summer days we've been having - I am keeping it fresh. No burnt spices, no burnt herbs and definitely no burnt garlic. 

The juices should be clear, not red. I like to lift the chicken and check under the breast, near the bone for any red or uncooked meat. Uncooked meat is translucent . Overcooked chicken is dry and lacks flavour, timing and temperature is key here. We're after consistently succulent and juicy chicken in my house. 

For the Garam Masala basting,

1/4 cup olive oil (or 125g butter)

2 Tbsp Garam Masala 

(I make my own Garam Masala, I roast the spices and grind them- you should use a good quality spice for the best flavour- fresh and aromatic not like saw dust. Cape Herb & Spice is pretty good if you aren't making your own) 

1 Tbsp freshly crushed garlic

The juice of 1 or 2 lemons, taste and adjust based on what feels good to you

I used about 60g fresh coriander, roughly chopped try not to bruise it when you chop it

In my 2026 version I add 4 chopped jalapeños (you can remove the seeds for less heat) & 1/2 red onion for a little extra POW. 

If using Olive oil, drizzle the olive oil, lemon juice & Garam Masala onto the roast chicken. Sprinkle the chopped garlic, jalapeño, red onion & coriander on top.

If using butter , melt the butter in a small pot, as it starts to sizzle, turn the heat off then heat the garlic, add the Garam Masala and stir into the hot butter. You should smell the aromatics now. Swirl the butter around in the pot add the fresh chopped coriander then using a spoon, generously baste your roast chicken in the Garam Masala Butter. 

We had this for dinner with green bean and sweet potato mash.