roast chicken

• Dry the chicken, then lightly score the skin to allow marinade to soak in. Set aside whilst preparing the marinade.

for the marinade

• Put the yoghurt, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, black pepper, salt and lemon juice into a large bowl and mix well.
• Place the chicken into the bowl and work the marinade into the surface and cavity. Cover, and set aside in a refrigerator for at least two hours, but overnight is better.

for the rice and stuffing

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add rice and salt and stir. Cook until rice is about half cooked – you should just be able to break a grain with your fingernails. Using a slotted spoon, take ½ cup of the rice from the pot, drain using a sieve, then set aside in a bowl for the stuffing.
• Add half the almonds and dried fruit to the remaining rice in the pot and cook for a further minute or so. The rice should still be a little undercooked.
• Remove from heat, drain using a sieve, and when moist, but not wet, turn into an oven-proof dish, cover tightly and set aside.
• For the stuffing, add the remaining almonds and fruit to the reserved rice and mix well. Set aside.

for the masala

• Place the ginger and garlic into a food processor, and using as little water as possible, blend to a thick paste.
• Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat, then add the oil. When hot add the onions, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring often until onions become golden brown – around ten minutes.
• Carefully add the ginger and garlic paste and cook until raw garlic smell has gone, or around five minutes.
• Add the pureed tomatoes, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, and black pepper. Mix well and cook for five minutes or until tomatoes soften.
• Reduce the heat to low and carefully add the yoghurt one tablespoon at a time, mixing well before adding the next spoonful. Cook, stirring frequently, for around five minutes or until the sauce is smooth and starting to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.

to cook

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
• Stuff the chicken with the rice, nut and fruit mixture, pressing firmly. Place the lemon half, cut side inwards to seal the cavity and use skewers or toothpicks to close it. Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together.
• Place the chicken on aluminium foil and cover with the sauce. Fold the foil up over the chicken and place into a baking dish just large enough to hold the chicken. Refer to the notes below.
• Place into the oven and cook for one hour.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and carefully open then fold back the foil. Spoon the accumulated liquid over the chicken and return to oven. Place the covered oven dish with rice in the oven at the same time. Increase oven to 200C.
• Cook the chicken and rice for a further 30 minutes, basting the chicken in the juices every 10 minutes or so. By this time the juices should have thickened considerably, and the chicken should be a golden brown.
• Remove rice and chicken from oven.

to serve

• Turn the rice onto a platter in a ring, leaving some space in the middle for the chicken.
• Carefully remove the chicken from the foil, place into the middle of the platter and remove skewers and twine. Remove the lemon half from the chicken cavity, set to one side of the platter, and gently ease some of the stuffing out of the chicken.
• Pour any remaining sauce from the foil pouch over the chicken, then garnish with the sliced green chilli, almonds and coriander. Serve.